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JOHN  M.  KELLY  LIBBARY 


Donated  by 

The  Redemptorists  of 
the  Toronto  Province 

from  the  Library  Collection  of 
Holy  Redeemer  College,  Windsor 


University  of 
St.  Michael's  College,  Toronto 


"  ALWAYS    LIVING    TO    MAKE    INTERCESSION    FOR    US.'' 

(HEB.  vn,  25) 


The 


Readings  for  the  Month  of  June 

From  the  Writings  of 
Fatter     A.     Tesniere,    S.     S.     S. 


IFUbil  ©bstat 

LUDOVICUS  ESTEVENON,  S.S.S. 

Superior  Generalis. 
Rome,  March  25,  1908. 

Mibil  <S>bstat 

REMIGIUS    LAFORT,    S.T.L. 
Censor   Librorum. 

llmprtmatur 

^JOANNES    M.    FARLEY,    D.D. 

Archiepiscopus   Neo-Ebor. 
New  York,  April  4,  1908. 


APPROBATION 

THE  Month  of  the  Eucharistic  Heart  of 
Jesus  will  be  cordially  welcomed  by  all  de 
vout  Catholics  who  desire  to  respond  to 
Our  Lord's  appeal  at  Paray-le-Monial  for 
adoration  and  frequent  Communion.  The 
Sacred  Heart  and  the  Eucharist  can  never 
be  disassociated.  Devotion  toward  the  one 
increases  love  for  the  other. 

These  pious  thoughts  will  help  souls  to 
know  the  Heart  of  Our  Saviour  better  and, 
consequently,  will  foster  love  for  the  Sacred 
Humanity  of  Jesus  Christ  residing  in  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament.  We  gladly  give 
our  approval  to  this  little  book,  for  we  feel 
sure  it  will  enable  the  Faithful  to  spend  the 
thirty  days  of  June  in  close  communion  with 
the  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Christ. 


HOLY  REOEEME&t^RARY. 

^X^A. 


PREFACE 

THE  month  of  June  contains  two  feasts 
which  appeal  in  a  special  manner  to  all  de 
vout  souls.  They  are  the  feasts  of  Corpus 
Christi  and  the  Sacred  Heart.  One  is  the 
complement  of  the  other.  The  revelation 
of  the  Divine  Master  to  St.  Juliana  of  Liege 
in  the  thirteenth  century  received  its  crown 
ing  glory  at  Paray-le-Monial  nearly  five 
hundred  years  after.  Since  then  the  two 
feasts  seem  to  breathe  the  same  spirit,  until 
now  devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart  prac 
tically  means  -an  ardent  love  for  the  Blessed 
Sacrament. 

Our  Holy  Founder,  Pere  Eymard,  ad 
vises  all  earnest  adorers  to  have  one  book 
on  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  which  th^y  shall 
read  carefully  during  the  month  of  June. 
He  says  this  close  study  and  concentration 
of  thought  is  the  most  powerful  means  of 
imbibing  a  deep  Eucharistic  spirit. 

It  is  in  order  to  supply  the  Faithful  with 
such  a  book  that  the  following  pages  have 
been  culled  from  the  prolific  writings  of 

iv 

*.F*cHj  n  .1  to.';  ftj  ]$  y  $*> 


Preface.  v 

Reverend  Albert  Tesniere,  S.S.S.  His  is 
an  able  pen  whence  flow  thoughts  thor 
oughly  impregnated  with  the  spirit  of  his 
venerable  Founder.  Every  meditation  is  in 
the  form  of  the  four  ends  of  Sacrifice,  a 
method  of  prayer  which  has  now  become 
identified  with  Pere  Eymard  and  his  So 
ciety,  the  Fathers  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sac 
rament. 

Being  a  profound  theologian,  Pere  Tes 
niere  has  given  the  Eucharist  long  and  deep 
study.  He  makes  the  soul  realize  that  only 
in  the  tiny  white  Host  can  she  find  on  earth 
the  Sacred  Humanity  of  Our  Saviour.  The 
Sacred  Heart  is  the  vital  organ  of  that  Hu 
manity  in  His  Eucharistic,  as  It  was  in  His 
mortal  life.  When  Jesus  appeared  to 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  He  raised  the  veils 
of  the  Sacred  Species,  and  revealed  to  the 
lowly  Visitandine  His  Heart  throbbing  and 
longing  for  our  love.  "  Behold  the  Heart 
that  has  so  loved  men !  " 

The  dominant  tone  of  all  the  wonderful 
revelations  at  Paray-le-Monial  is  an  appeal 
from  the  Man-God  for  more  fervent  adora 
tion  and  frequent  Communion.  They  are 
the  means  by  which  souls  can  alleviate  His 
"  ardent  thirst  to  be  loved  by  men  in  the 


vi  Preface. 

Sacrament  of  His  love."  Pictures  and 
statues  are  representations  that  appeal  to  the 
senses,  but  only  in  the  Eucharist  can  be 
found  here  on  earth  the  Divine  Original. 
We  trust  that,  by  faithfully  using  these 
beautiful  thoughts  of  Pere  Tesniere,  pious 
souls  may  spend  a  month  all  perfumed  with 
the  Eucharistic  spirit  and  that,  at  the  close 
of  June's  thirty  days  of  grace,  they  may 
find  themselves  nearer  and  dearer  to  the 
great  Heart  of  our  Eucharistic  Lord. 

S.S.S. 


THE  MONTH  OF  JUNE 

His  Holiness  of  happy  memory,  Pope 
Pius  IX,  by  a  Decree  of  the  Sacred  Con 
gregation  of  Indulgences,  May  8,  187.3, 
granted  to  all  the  Faithful  who,  during  the 
month  of  June,  either  in  public  or  in  private, 
shall  with  at  least  a  contrite  heart  say  some 
special  prayers  or  perform  some  pious  acts 
in  honor  of  the  Most  Sacred  Heart  of 

JeSUS:       AN     INDULGENCE     OF     SEVEN     YEARS 
AND  SEVEN  QUARANTINES  O11CC  a  (lay. 

A  Plenary  Indulgence  on  any  day  of  the 
month,  provided  that,  being  truly  penitent 
after  confession  and  Communion,  they  shall 
visit  some  church  or  public  oratory,  and 
there  pray  devoutly  for  the  intention  of  His 
Holiness. 

NEW  INDULGENCES  FOR  THE  MONTH  OF  THE 
SACRED  HEART. 

His  Holiness  Pius  X,  adding  to  the  favors 
of  his  predecessors,  has  granted  exceptional 
Indulgences,  which  will  rejoice  all  friends 
of  the  Heart  of  Jesus.  To  extend  the  de 
votion  of  the  Month  of  the  Sacred  Heart, 


vn 


viii  The  Month  of  June. 


Holiness   was   requested   to  grant  the 
following   Indulgences: 

1.  A  PLENARY  INDULGENCE  toties  quoties 
(as  often  as)  applicable  to  the  souls  in  pur 
gatory,  on  June  30th,  in  churches  in  which 
the  Month  of  the  Sacred  Heart  shall  have 
been  solemnly  celebrated  ; 

2.  The  privilege  of  the  Gregorian  altar 
ad  instar,  at  the  Mass  on  June  30th,  for  the 
preachers  of  the  Month  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
and  the  rectors  of  churches  in  which  this 
devotion   shall   have    been    solemnly    cele 
brated  ; 

3.  For  all   who  propagate  this  holy   de 
votion,   an   Indulgence  of  500   days   to  be 
gained  for  every  work  done  to  propagate  it 
or  to  have  it  more  solemnly  celebrated;  a 
Plenary  Indulgence    for    the    Communions 
made  in  the  Month  of  June.     All  these  In 
dulgences  applicable  to  the  souls  in  purga 
tory. 

From  an   audience   with    His    Holiness, 
August  8,  1906. 

ALOYSIUS  CARD.  TRIPEPI,  Pref. 
of  the  Cong,  of  Indulgences  and  Relics. 
Pro-Pref.  of  the  Cong,  of  Rites. 


Promises  of  Our  Lord.  ix 

PROMISES     OF    OUR     LORD     JESUS     CHRIST     TO 

BLESSED   MARGARET   MARY   ALACOQUE   IN 

FAVOR    OF    THOSE    DEVOTED    TO    HIS 

SACRED  HEART. 

1.  I  will  give  them  all  the  graces  neces 
sary  for  their  state  of  life. 

2.  I  will  establish  peace  in  their  families. 

3.  I   will   console   them   in   all   their   af 
flictions. 

4.  I  will  be  their  assured  refuge  in  life, 
and  more  especially  at  death. 

5.  I  will  pour  out  abundant  benedictions 
on  all  their  undertakings. 

6.  Sinners   shall   find   in    My   Heart   the 
source  and  infinite  ocean  of  mercy. 

7.  Tepid  souls  shall  become  fervent. 

8.  Fervent  souls  shall  advance  rapidly  to 
great  perfection. 

9.  I   will   bless   the   house   in   which   the 
image   of   My   Sacred   Heart   shall   be   ex- 
posed  and  honored. 

10.  I  will  give  to  priests  the  gift  of  mov 
ing  the  most  hardened  hearts. 

11.  Persons  who  propagate  this  devotion 
shall    have   their    names    inscribed    in    My 
Heart,  never  to  be  effaced  from  it. 

12.  I  promise  thee,  in  the  excess  of  the 
2 


x  Promises  of  Our  Lord. 

mercy  of  My  Heart,  that  Its  all-powerful 
love  will  grant  to  all  those  who  receive  Com 
munion  on  the  First  Friday  of  every  month, 
for  nine  consecutive  months,  the  grace  of 
final  penitence,  and  that  they  shall  not  die 
under  My  displeasure,  nor  without  receiv 
ing  the  Sacraments,  and  My  Heart  shall  be 
their  secure  refuge  at  that  last  hour. 


DAILY  PRAYERS  FOR  THE 
MONTH  OF  JUNE 

AN  OFFERING. 

MY  loving  Jesus,  I  give  Thee  my  heart, 
and  I  consecrate  myself  wholly  to  Thee  out 
of  the  grateful  love  I  bear  Thee,  and  as 
reparation  for  all  my  unfaithfulness!  With 
Thy  help,  I  purpose  never  again  to  sin. 
(Indulgence,  100  days  once  a  day.) 

(Plenary  Indulgence  once  a  month  if  the 
prayer  be  said  before  a  picture  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  on  the  usual  conditions,  con 
fession  and  Communion,  and  prayers  for 
the  Sovereign  Pontiff's  intentions.) 

"  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus,  have  mercy 
on  us !  " 

(Indulgence  of  300  days,  totics  quoties.) 

THE    PRAYER    OF    ST.    GERTRUDE    TO    THE 
SACRED   HEART. 

Hail,  O  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  living  and 
quickening  source  of  eternal  life,  infinite 
treasury  of  the  Divinity,  burning  furnace 
of  divine  love!  Thou  art  my  refuge  and 
my  sanctuary.  O  my  amiable  Saviour, 

xi 


xii  Daily  Prayers  for  the  Month  of  June. 

consume  my  heart  with  that  burning  fire 
with  which  Thine  is  ever  inflamed!  Pour 
down  on  my  soul  those  graces  that  flow 
from  Thy  love,  and  let  my  heart  be  so 
united  to  Thine  that  our  wills  may  be  one, 
and  mine  in  all  things  conformed  to  Thine. 
May  Thine  be  the  standard  and  rule  of  my 
desires  and  actions!  Amen. 

PETITIONS  TO  THE  SACRED  HEART. 

O  God,  who,  out  of  Thy  immense  love, 
hast  given  to  the  Faithful  the  Sacred  Heart 
of  Thy  dear  Son,  Our  Lord,  as  the  object 
of  their  tender  affections,  grant,  we  be 
seech  Thee,  that  we  may  so  love  and  honor 
this  pledge  of  Thy  love  on  earth  that  by  It 
we  may  merit  to  love  both  Thee  and  Thy 
gift,  and  be  eternally  loved  by  Thee  and  this 
most  blessed  Heart  in  heaven,  through  the 
same  Jesus  Christ  Our  Lord,  Thy  Son,  who 
liveth  and  reigneth  with  Thee  in  the  unity 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  one  God,  world  without 
end !  Amen. 

AN    ACT   OF   CONSECRATION    AND   REPARATION 
TO  THE  SACRED  HEART. 

O  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  my  Saviour  and 
my  God,  deign  to  receive  me  among  the 


Daily  Prayers  for  the  Month  of  June,    xiii 

number  of  Thy  adorers,  notwithstanding 
my  unworthiness !  Humbly  prostrate  be 
fore  Thee,  I  adore  Thee  with  all  the  powers 
of  my  soul.  I  consecrate  them  forever  to 
Thee  with  all  my  thoughts,  words,  and  ac 
tions,  in  grateful  acknowledgment  for  my  re 
demption,  but  more  particularly  for  Thy 
love  in  always  dwelling  with  us  in  the  Most 
Adorable  and  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  of 
the  Altar.  Why  cannot  I,  O  Sacred 
Heart,  by  my  adorations  and  those  of  my 
associates,  repair  all  the  outrages  Thou  hast 
ever  received,  and  that  Thou  wilt  continue 
to  receive  till  the  end  of  time?  Why  can 
not  I  offer  Thee  as  much  love  and  glory  as 
Thou  dost  render  to  Thy  Eternal  Father? 
Do  Thou  repair  all  my  faults.  Be  my  Pro 
tector,  my  Strength,  my  Asylum  at  the  hour 
of  my  death ! 

I  ask  the  same  for  all  poor  sinners,  for 
all  in  affliction,  for  the  agonizing,  and  for 
all  mankind  that  none  may  lose  the  fruits 
of  the  Precious  Blood  Thou  didst  shed  upon 
the  Cross.  May  it  be  applied  to  the  souls 
in  purgatory,  also !  This  is  my  request,  and 
I  shall  continue  to  make  it  until  my  last 
breath.  Amen. 


LITANY  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART 

Lord,  have  mercy  on  us.   Christ,  have  mercy 

on  us. 

Lord,  have  mercy  on  us. 
Christ,  hear  us.    Christ,  graciously  hear  us. 
God,  the  Father  of  Heaven,  1 

God,  the  Son,  Redeemer  of  the  world, 
God,  the  Holy  Ghost, 
Holy  Trinity,  one  God, 
Heart   of   Jesus,    Son   of   the   Eternal 

Father, 
Heart  of  Jesus,   formed   by  the  Holy 

Ghost   in   the   womb   of  the   Virgin 

Mother, 
Heart  of  Jesus,  substantially  united  to 

the  Word  of  God, 
Heart  of  Jesus,  of  infinite  Majesty, 
Heart  of  Jesus,  sacred  temple  of  God, 
Heart  of  Jesus,  tabernacle  of  the  Most 

High, 
Heart  of  Jesus,  house  of  God  and  gate 

of  heaven, 
Heart    of   Jesus,    burning   furnace   of 

charity, 
Heart  of  Jesus,  abode  of  justice  and 

love, 
xiv 


Litany  of  the  Sacred  Heart.        xv 

Heart  of  Jesus,  full   of   goodness    and  1 
love, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  abyss  of  all  virtues, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  most    worthy    of    all 
praise, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  king  and  centre  of  all 
hearts, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  in  whom  are  all  the 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  in  whom  dwells  the  ful 
ness  of  Divinity, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  in  whom  the  Father  was 
well  pleased, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  of  whose  fulness  we 
have  all  received, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  desire  of  the  everlasting 
hills, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  patient  and  most  merci 
ful, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  enriching  all  who  in 
voke  Thee, 

Heart  of  Jesus,   fountain  of  life  and 
holiness, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  propitiation  for  our  sins, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  loaded  down  with  op 
probrium, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  bruised    for    our    of 
fences,  J 


V£ 

O 


xvi  Litany  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

Heart  of  Jesus,  obedient  unto  death, 
Heart  of  Jesus,  pierced  with  a  lance, 
Heart  of  Jesus,  source  of  all  consola 
tion, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  our  life  and  resurrec 
tion, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  our  peace  and  reconcil 
iation, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  victim  for  sin, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  salvation  of  those  who 
trust  in  Thee, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  hope  of  those  who  die 
in  Thee, 

Heart  of  Jesus,  delight  of  all  the  saints, 

Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins  of 
the  world,  spare  us,  O  Lord. 

Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins  of 
the  world,  graciously  hear  us,  O  Lord. 

Lamb  of  God,  who  takest  away  the  sins  of 
the  world,  have  mercy  on  us. 

V.  Jesus,  meek  and  humble  of  Heart. 

R.  Make  our  hearts  like  unto  Thine. 

Let  us  pray. 

O  almighty  and  eternal  God,  look  upon 
the  Heart  of  Thy  dearly  beloved  Son,  and 
upon  the  praise  and  satisfaction  He  offers 
Thee  in  the  name  of  sinners  and  for  those 


Litany  of  the  Sacred  Heart.        xvii 

who  seek  Thy  mercy.  Be  Thou  appeased, 
and  grant  us  pardon  in  the  name  of  the 
same  Jesus  Christ,  Thy  Son,  who  liveth 
and  reigneth  with  Thee  in  the  unity  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  world  without  end.  Amen. 


PRAYER  TO  OUR  LADY  OF  THE 
MOST  BLESSED  SACRAMENT 

O  Virgin  Mary,  OUR  LADY  OF  THE 
MOST  BLESSED  SACRAMENT,  who 
art  the  glory  of  Christians,  the  joy  of  the 
Universal  Church,  and  the  hope  of  the 
world,  pray  for  us !  Stir  up  in  all  the 
Faithful  devotion  to  the  Most  Holy  Eucha 
rist,  that  they  may  render  themselves 
worthy  to  communicate  every  day. 

An  Indulgence  of  300  days  each  time  for 
the  recital  of  this  prayer  to  Our  Lady  of 
the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament. 

S.  CARD.  CRETONI,  Praef. 

January,  23,  1907. 

INVOCATION     TO     OUR     LADY     OF     THE     MOST 
BLESSED    SACRAMENT. 

Our  Lady  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra 
ment,  pray  for  us ! 

joo  days'  Indulgence,  when  said  before 
the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  exposed. 

Pius  PP.  X. 
December  30,  1905. 


xvm 


CONTENTS 

Approbation  iii 

Preface  iv 

The  Month  of  June  vii 

New  Indulgences  for  the  Month  of  the 

Sacred  Heart  vii 

Promises  of  Our  Lord  to  Blessed  Margaret 

Mary  ix 

Daily  Prayers  for  the  Month  of  June....  xi 

Litany  of  the  Sacred  Heart  xiv 

Prayer  to  Our  Lady  of  the  Most  Blessed 

Sacrament                                                          .  xviii 


FIRST   DAY. — The    Revelation   of  the    Sacred 

Heart  1 

SECOND  DAY. — The  Primacy  of  the  Sacred 

Heart  19 

THIRD  DAY.— A  Call  to  Adore  the  Eu- 

charistic  Heart  35 

FOURTH  DAY. — Joy  and  Tears  Before  the 

Eucharistic  Heart  50 

FIFTH  DAY. — The  Heart  of  the  Infant  God.  .  66 
SIXTH  DAY. — Heart  of  Jesus,  Son  of  Mary.  .  83 
SEVENTH  DAY. — The  Sacred  Heart  in  the  Gift 

of  the  Eucharist  101 

EIGHTH  DAY. — The  Sacred  Heart  in  the 

Passion 118 

NINTH  DAY. — The  Sacred  Heart  in  Geth- 

semani 136 

TENTH  DAY. — The  Sacred  Heart  in  Agony.  .  148 
ELEVENTH  DAY. — The  Wound  of  the  Sacred 

Heart  160 

TWELFTH  DAY. — The  Sacred  Heart  and  the 

Sorrows  of   Mary    179 

xix 


xx  Contents 


THIRTEENTH  DAY. — The  Sacred  Heart  in  the 

Resurrection  197 

FOURTEENTH  DAY. — The  Sacred  Heart  Abid 
ing  in  the  Eucharistic  Presence 207 

FIFTEENTH  DAY. — The  Precious  Blood  of  the 

Sacred  Heart  217 

SIXTEENTH  DAY.— The  Eucharistic  Heart,  the 

Model  of  All  Virtues 235 

SEVENTEENTH  DAY.— Jesus  Humble  of  Heart.  256 
EIGHTEENTH  DAY.— Obedience  of  the  Eu 
charistic  Heart  274 

NINETEENTH  DAY.— Obedience,  the  Glorious 

Homage  of  the  Eucharistic  Heart 286 

TWENTIETH  DAY.— The  Fidelity  of  the  Heart 

of  Jesus  298 

TWENTY-FIRST  DAY. — The  Sweetness  of  the 

Heart  of  Jesus  316 

TWENTY-SECOND  DAY. — The  Sacred  Heart 

and  the  Angels  335 

TWENTY-THIRD  DAY. — The  Sacred  Heart  and 

Purgatory  353 

TWENTY-FOURTH  DAY. — "Behold  this  Heart!"  372 
TWENTY-FIFTH  DAY. — The  Holy  Eucharist 

and  the  Sacred  Heart  386 

TWENTY-SIXTH  DAY. — The  Holy  Name  of 

Jesus  410 

TWENTY-SEVENTH  DAY.— The  Sacred  Heart 

in  the  Host  of  the  Real  Presence 420 

TWENTY-EIGHTH  DAY. -The  Eucharistic  Heart, 

the  Palladium  of  the  Church 435 

TWENTY-NINTH  DAY.— The  Sacred  Heart 

and  Eucharistic  Reparation 455 

THIRTIETH  DAY.— The  Eucharistic  Heart 

Pleading    for    Reparation 467 


first 

THE  REVELATION  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART. 

SUBJECT. — The  Revelation  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  viewed  as  a  whole,  comprehends: 
first,  the  manifestation  properly  so  called  of 
the  adorable  Heart;  secondly,  Its  serious 
and  sorrowful  complaints;  thirdly,  Its  de 
sires  and  demands ;  fourthly,  Its  magnificent 
promises, 

We  shall  gather  them  from  the  writings 
of  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  and  present  them 
to  our  readers.  These  words,  coming  forth 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Saviour  under  the 
impulse  of  the  various  sentiments  of  His 
Heart,  are  too  eloquent  to  have  need  of 
lengthy  commentaries.  It  suffices  to  recall 
them  in  order  to  rouse  in  turn  lively  feelings 
of  adoration,  thanksgiving,  reparation,  and 
petition. 

ADORATION. 
THE  MANIFESTATION  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART. 

"  Once,  when  the  Blessed  Sacrament  was 
exposed,  and  I  felt  my  soul  abyssed  in  ex 
traordinary  recollection  of  all  its  powers  and 


2         The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

senses,  my  sweet  Master  Jesus  Christ  pre 
sented  Himself  before  me  all  shining  with 
glory,  His  five  Wounds  brilliant  as  suns; 
from  every  part  of  His  Sacred  Humanity 
radiated  flames,  but  above  all  from  the  re 
gion  of  the  Heart,  which  resembled  a  fur 
nace.  Opening  His  breast,  He  showed  me 
His  all-loving  and  amiable  Heart,  the  liv 
ing  source  of  these  flames.  It  was  then 
that  He  discovered  to  me  the  inexplicable 
wonders  of  His  pure  love,  and  to  what  an 
excess  He  had  carried  it  for  the  love  of 
mankind.  .  .  ." 

This  first  manifestation,  in  which  the 
Sacred  Heart  discovers  Itself  in  Its  double 
object:  the  Heart  of  flesh  beating  in  the 
breast  of  a  true  Man,  and  the  infinite  love 
with  which  Christ  loved  us  and  still  loves 
us,  is  followed  up  by  a  manifestation  still 
more  brilliant  and  significant. 

"  Being  before  the  Blessed  Sacrament  one 
day  in  the  octave  of  Corpus  Christi,  dis 
closing  to  me  His  Divine  Heart,  the 
Saviour  said  to  me :  '  Behold  this  Heart 
which  has  so  loved  men  that  It  has  spared 
nothing  even  to  exhausting  and  consuming 
Itself  in  order  to  show  Its  love/  " 


First  Day.  3 

"Behold  this  Heart!"— He  shows  It 
there  under  the  veils  of  the  Eucharist,  which 
He  has  miraculously  withdrawn  in  order  to 
appear  to  the  Blessed  Sister.  He  shows  It 
living  and  beating  in  His  open  breast,  the 
source  of  the  Blood  that  flows  in  His  veins, 
the  motor  of  the  life  that  animates  Him. 
He  shows  It  loving,  the  organ  of  the  af 
fections  of  His  soul,  the  sensible  symbol  of 
His  spiritual  love  of  God  and  man  and,  as 
we  shall  soon  see  It,  offended  at  the  cold 
ness  of  men  and  longing  to  be  loved. 

It  is  truly  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  insepa 
rable  from  the  Humanity  of  which  It  is  one 
of  the  essential  organs,  inseparable  from  the 
Person  of  the  Word  who  deifies  It  sub 
stantially,  inseparable  from  the  Sacrament 
whose  sign  alone  can  permit  the  Christ  of 
glory  to  remain  really  here  below. 

Let  us  adore  the  reality  of  Its  double 
nature,  the  divine  and  the  human.  Let  us 
adore  the  reality  of  Its  life  and  love.  Let 
us  adore  Its  real  and  abiding  Presence  in 
the  Eucharistic  Christ.  May  our  adoration 
and  homage,  the  profession  of  our  faith  and 
love,  pour  themselves  out  at  the  foot  of  the 
altar,  before  the  tabernacle  which  has 
guarded  It  since  the  evening  of  the  Last 


4         The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Supper  and  which  will  guard  It  till  the  last 
evening  of  the  world ! 

THANKSGIVING. 
THE    PROMISES    OF    THE    SACRED    HEART. 

The  Promises  with  which  it  pleased  Our 
Lord  to  accompany  the  Revelation  of  His 
Heart  are  magnificent  as  this  manifestation 
itself,  which  He  calls  "  the  last  effort  of 
His  love."  Some  regard  the  universal 
Church  and  the  whole  world ;  others  are  ad 
dressed  to  special  classes  and  show  that 
the  Divine  Heart  is  as  delicate  and  attentive 
as  It  is  generous  and  magnificent. 

The  general  Promises  are  so  large  and  so 
powerful  that  we  may  say  that  the  Revela 
tion  of  the  Sacred  Heart  is  a  new  effusion 
of  inexhaustible  love  equal,  at  least,  to  that 
spread  abroad  by  the  Word  on  coming  into 
this  world,  or  to  that  of  the  Spirit  of  Love 
and  Life  on  the  days  of  Pentecost.  "  For," 
said  the  Saviour  to  the  Blessed  Sister,  "  My 
Heart  is  so  passionately  in  love  with  men 
that,  not  being  able  to  contain  in  Itself  the 
flames  of  Its  burning  charity,  It  must  of 
necessity  allow  them  to  burst  forth.  It 
must  reveal  Itself  to  them  in  order  to  en- 


First  Day.  5 

rich  them  with  the  precious  treasures  I  have 
shown  thee  and  which  contain  all  the  sanc 
tifying  graces  necessary  to  snatch  them 
from  the  abyss  of  perdition." 

It  might  seem  that,  after  Calvary  and  the 
Eucharist,  Christ  could  do  nothing  more  for 
us,  since  He  had  given  His  life  and  was 
constantly  renewing  that  gift  in  a  perpetual 
Sacrifice  and  in  a  Food  repeated  every  day : 
"  In  finem  dile.rit."  But  in  the  Eucha  - 
rist  there  is  a  Heart  swelling  with  love, 
with  unmeasured  reserves  of  love  accumu 
lated  for  ages.  On  the  day  of  Its  Revela 
tion,  it  burst  forth  anew :  "  For  my 
Saviour  gave  me  to  understand  that  the 
great  desire  He  experienced  to  be  perfectly 
loved  by  men  had  led  Him  to  form  a  design 
of  manifesting  His  Heart,  and  of  giving  in 
these  last  ages  this  final  effort  of  His  love, 
by  proposing  to  them  an  object  and  a  means 
so  calculated  to  win  them  to  love  Him,  and 
love  Him  most  truly." 

The  momentum  of  this  effort  opens  to 
the  world,  now  old  and  decrepit,  "  all  the 
treasures  of  love,  mercy,  grace,  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  salvation  that  It  contains,  that 
whoever  will  render  to  It  and  procure  for 
It  all  the  honor  and  love  possible,  may  be 


6         The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

enriched  with  a  profusion  of  the  divine 
treasures  of  which  It  is  the  fruitful  and 
ever  plentiful  source." 

The  devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart  is  a 
repetition  of  the  work  of  Redemption  in 
modern  times,  the  apparition  of  a  new 
Mediator  coming  to  reconcile  to  God  the 
world  which  the  great  apostasy  of  natural 
ism  has  separated  from  Him.  "  My  Saviour 
gave  me  to  understand,"  says  Blessed  Mar 
garet  Mary,  "  that  His  Sacred  Heart  is  the 
Holy  of  Holies,  and  that  He  willed  It  to  be 
known  in  our  day  in  order  to  be  a  new 
Mediator  between  God  and  men ;  for  He  is 
all-powerful  to  procure  their  peace  by  turn 
ing  away  the  chastisements  that  our  sins 
have  drawn  upon  us  and  by  obtaining  for 
us  mercy."  "  What  a  happiness  for  you," 
she  wrote  to  a  fellow-laborer,  "  and  for  all 
who  contribute  to  make  the  Sacred  Heart 
known !  They  secure  for  themselves  there 
by  the  eternal  friendship  and  benediction  of 
that  lovable  Heart." 

The  Promises  to  all  who  confidently  re 
cur  to  the  Sacred  Heart  are  not  less  rich  nor 
numerous,  for  It  is  the  open  source  of  all 
grace,  the  unfathomable  ocean  of  all  good. 
We  shall  recall  some  of  these  Promises 


First  Day.  T 

enumerated  by  the  Blessed  Sister  in  a  letter 
to  Pere  Rollin : 

"  Why  can  I  not  recount  all  that  I  know 
of  this  sweet  devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart 
of  Jesus?  Why  can  I  not  discover  to  the 
whole  world  the  treasures  of  grace  which 
Jesus  Christ  encloses  in  His  adorable  Heart 
and  which  He  intends  to  pour  forth  pro 
fusely  upon  them  who  practise  this  de 
votion?  Yes,  I  say  confidently  if  we  knew 
how  agreeable  this  devotion  is  to  Jesus 
Christ,  there  is  not  a  Christian,  how  little 
soever  his  love  for  this  sweet  Saviour,  who 
would  not  at  once  practise  it. 

"  Try,  above  all,  to  make  religious  per 
sons  embrace  it.  for  they  will  derive  from  it 
so  much  help  that  no  other  means  will  be 
necessary  to  restore  first  fervor  in  Com 
munities  even  the  least  regular,  and  to  lead 
to  the  height  of  perfection  those  that  already 
live  in  the  most  exact  regularity. 

"  My  Divine  Saviour  has  made  me  under 
stand  that  they  who  labor  at  the  salvation  of 
souls  shall  acquire  the  art  of  touching  the 
most  hardened  hearts  and  of  laboring  with 
marvellous  success,  if  they  themselves  arc 
deeply  penetrated  with  a  tender  devotion 
toward  His  Sacred  Heart. 


8         The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

"  As  for  seculars,  they  will  find  by  means 
of  this  amiable  devotion  all  the  aid  necessary 
for  their  state,  namely,  peace  in  their 
family,  help  in  their  labors,  the  blessing  of 
Heaven  on  their  undertakings,  consolation 
in  their  trials.  It  is,  indeed,  in  this  Sacred 
Heart  that  they  will  find  a  refuge  during 
their  whole  life  and  chiefly  at  the  hour  of 
death.  Ah,  how  sweet  it  is  to  die  after  hav 
ing  had  a  constant  devotion  to  the  Heart  of 
Him  who  is  to  be  our  Judge !  " 

Who  does  not  feel  himself  reanimated 
and  encouraged  to  labor  and  combat,  to 
support  trials,  to  confront  suffering,  when 
sustained  by  such  promises?  And  who 
could  fail  to  have,  according  to  the  words  of 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  "  a  grateful  love 
for  Jesus  Christ  such  as  is  that  which  is 
shown  Him  by  the  devotion  to  His  Sacred 
Heart?" 

REPARATION. 
THE     COMPLAINTS     OF     THE    SACRED     HEART. 

Some  are  general,  and  others  particular; 
but  all  are  full  of  that  deep  and  bitter  sad 
ness  that  springs  from  the  disappointment 
of  one  who,  having  made  many  and  great 


First  Day.  9 

advances,  has  a  right  to  expect  reasonable 
returns,  and  yet  receives  them  not. 

"  Behold  this  Heart  that  has  so  loved 
men,"  said  the  Saviour,  sensitive  and  justly 
jealous  of  His  love;  and  He  added  sadly: 
"  And  in  return,  I  receive  for  the  most 
part  only  ingratitude  by  their  irreverence 
and  sacrileges,  by  the  coldness  and  contempt 
they  have  for  me  in  this  Sacrament  of 
Love !  " 

As  the  manifestation  showed  the  ador 
able  Heart  in  the  Sacrament,  revealing  the 
Presence,  the  life,  the  love  of  the  Christ  in 
that  inert  symbol,  so  does  He  complain  of 
the  insults  that  wound  Him  in  the  Eucha 
rist,  as  much  by  cold  and  contemptuous  ab 
stention  from  It  as  by  irreverent  and  sacri 
legious  reception  of  It.  If  we  consider  one 
by  one  the  outrages  of  which  this  loving 
Heart  complains,  we  shall  be  filled  with  con 
trition  for  our  own  shortcomings  and  com 
passion  for  the  Adorable  Victim  of  human 
ingratitude.  Again  He  complains  of  "  re 
ceiving  only  ingratitude  and  forgetfulness 
from  those  that  He  has  loved  even  to  ex 
cess,"  and  He  adds :  "  That  is  much  more 
sensible  to  Me  than  all  I  endured  in  My 
Passion.  If  they  would  render  Me  some 


10       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

return  of  love,  I  should  look  upon  all  I 
have  done  for  them  as  little  and  I  should,  if 
that  were  possible,  do  still  more.  But  they 
meet  My  eagerness  to  do  them  good  with 
coldness  and  rebuffs." 

Lastly,  comes  this  moan  of  anguish,  which 
caused  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  insupport 
able  grief :  "  I  thirst,  but  with  a  thirst  so 
ardent  to  be  loved  by  men  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament  that  I  am  consumed  by 
it.  I  find  no  one  who  tries  to  meet  My  de 
sire,  who  tries  to  slake  My  thirst  by  making 
Me  some  return  for  My  love !  " 

Having  given  utterance  to  His  com 
plaints  against  "  the  most  part "  of  men 
who  despise  and  outrage  Him,  the  Divine 
Master  specifies  His  grief  respecting  some 
particular  classes  of  individuals.  He  men 
tions  those  whom  He  loved  more,  whom  He 
called  to  His  own  immediate  service,  and 
whom  He  loved  with  a  love  of  predilection, 
loading  them  with  the  most  excellent  gifts. 
They  are  His  priests,  religious,  consecrated 
virgins,  persons  who  make  profession  of 
piety,  and  whose  infidelity  is  most  injurious 
to  Him.  And  He  said:  "What  is  still 
more  grievous  to  Me  is  that  there  are  hearts 
consecrated  to  Me  who  treat  Me  thus !  " 


First  Day.  11 

On  another  occasion,  He  said :  "  My 
chosen  people  persecute  Me  in  secret  and  ir 
ritate  My  justice.  But  I  will  expose  their 
secret  sins  by  striking  chastisements,  for  I 
will  sift  them  in  the  sieve  of  My  sanctity 
in  order  to  separate  them  from  My  well- 
beloved."  "  Showing  me  then  His  loving 
Heart  all  torn  and  transpierced  with  blows, 
He  said  to  me :  '  Behold  the  wounds  I  have 
received  from  My  chosen  people.  Others 
are  satisfied  with  striking  My  Body,  but 
they  attack  My  Heart  which  has  never 
ceased  to  love  them.' 

"  One  day  after  Holy  Communion,  my 
Saviour  presented  Himself  to  me,  torn  and 
disfigured,  as  the  Ecce  Homo.  He  said: 
'  I  find  no  one  willing  to  give  Me  shelter  in 
this  suffering  and  sorrowful  state !  '  This 
sight  filled  me  with  so  lively  sorrow  that 
death  would  have  been  a  thousand  times 
sweeter  to  me  than  to  see  my  Saviour  in 
such  a  condition.  He  said  to  me :  '  If  thou 
didst  know  who  it  is  that  put  me  in  such  a 
state,  thy  sorrow  would  be  much  greater! 
Five  souls  consecrated  to  My  service  have 
treated  Me  as  thou  dost  see ! ' 

"  One  day  after   Holy   Communion,   He 
showed   me   a    frightful   crown   formed   of 


12       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

nineteen  very  sharp  thorns  which  pierced 
His  divine  head.  The  sight  filled  me  with 
such  sorrow  that  I  could  express  my 
sympathy  only  by  tears.  He  told  me  that 
He  had  come  to  look  for  me  that  I  might 
draw  out  these  thorns  for  Him,  which  had 
been  forced  in  by  an  unfaithful  spouse.  '  She 
pierced  Me  with  as  many  thorns  as  she  pre 
ferred  herself  to  Me  by  her  pride/  " 

From  the  multitudes,  from  His  friends 
and  spouses,  from  all  ranks  of  Christian 
society,  He  receives  but  ingratitude,  indif 
ference,  and  outrage.  "  And  that  is  more 
deeply  felt  by  Him  than  all  that  He  endured 
in  His  Passion !  "  Not  that  Jesus  suffers 
physically  or  morally.  He  has  entered 
into  His  glory  and  He  can  no  longer  suffer. 
But  when  still  passible,  He  foresaw  all  these 
injuries,  and  endured  all  their  sorrow  and 
humiliation.  At  present  He  still  experi 
ences  injuries,  but  in  the  manner  of  a  God, 
without  any  diminution  of  His  beatific  joy, 
without  any  alteration  of  His  immortal  life. 
But  that  certainly  does  not  lessen  the  cul 
pability  of  our  offences,  which  surely  strike 
and  attack  Him,  and  it  imposes  upon  every 
one  of  us  contrition,  penitence,  and  repara 
tion  ;  for  who  has  not  contributed  his  share 


First  Day.  13 

of  bitterness  by  his  forgetfulness,  irrever 
ence,  and  perhaps  sacrilegious  betrayals  of 
this  Heart  of  the  Divine  Friend,  so  prevent 
ing  and  so  faithful? 

PETITION. 
THE  DESIRES  AND  DEMANDS  OF  THE  SACRED 

HEART. 

In  the  first  Revelation  of  His  Heart,  on 
the  feast  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary  says  :  "  The  Divine  Heart 
was  represented  to  me  on  a  throne  of  fire 
and  flames,  shooting  out  rays  on  all  sides, 
more  brilliant  than  the  sun,  and  transparent 
as  crystal.  The  wound  that  It  had  received 
upon  the  cross  was  plainly  to  be  seen.  A 
crown  of  thorns  encircled  the  Divine  Heart, 
which  was  surmounted  by  a  cross.  It  was 
presented  to  me  with  these  words :  '  I 
thirst  ardently  to  be  loved  and  honored  by 
men  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament ! ' : 

In  another  place  she  writes :  '  The 
Sacred  Heart  wishes  to  establish  Its  reign. 
He  said  to  me :  'I  will  reign ! ' 

"  He    desires    to   enter   with    pomp   and 
magnificence    into   the   palaces   of    princes 
and  kings,  to  be  honored  therein  as  much 
3 


14       The  Eucharistic  PI  ear  t  of  Jesus. 

as  He  was  outraged,  despised,  and 
humiliated  during  His  Passion.  He  wishes 
to  receive  as  much  pleasure  from  beholding 
the  great  ones  of  the  earth  abased  and 
humbled  before  Him  as  He  once  felt  bitter 
ness  at  seeing  Himself  annihilated  at  their 
feet.  Here  are  the  words  that  I  heard  on 
this  subject:  'Make  known  to  the  eldest 
son  of  My  Sacred  Heart  that  I  wish  him  to 
consecrate  himself  to  My  adorable  'Heart 
which  desires  to  triumph  over  his  and,  by 
his  intervention,  over  those  of  the  great  ones 
of  the  earth.  It  wishes  to  reign  in  their 
palaces,  to  be  painted  on  their  standards, 
and  engraven  on  their  arms,  thus  to  render 
them  victorious  over  all  their  enemies  and 
those  of  Holy  Church/  " 

The  Divine  Master  now  makes  His  de 
sires  more  specific,  and  transforms  them  into 
formal  demands  akin  to  commandments. 
He  preludes  them  by  this  striking  suppli 
cation  :  "  Do  thou,  at  least,  give  Me  the 
satisfaction  of  supplying  for  their  ingrati 
tude  as  far  as  thou  art  able !  " 

"  When  I  represented  to  Him  my  im 
potence,  He  replied  to  me :  '  Well,  then, 
behold  wherewith  to  supply  for  all  that  is 
wanting  to  thee !  '  and  at  that  moment  the 


First  Day.  15 

Divine  Heart  opened,  and  there  shot  forth 
a  flame  so  ardent  that,  thinking  I  should  be 
consumed,  I  begged  Him  to  have  pity  on  my 
weakness.  '  I  will  be  thy  strength,'  He  said 
to  me,  '  fear  nothing.  But  be  attentive  to 
what  I  ask  of  thee  for  the  accomplishment 
of  My  designs : 

"  *  First,  thou  shalt  receive  Me  in  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament  as  often  as  obedi 
ence  will  permit,  whatever  mortification  and 
humiliation  it  may  bring  upon  thee.' 

"  '  Secondly,  thou  shalt  communicate  the 
first  Friday  of  every  month.' 

"  '  Thirdly,  every  night  between  Thurs 
day  and  Friday,  thou  shalt  rise  between 
eleven  and  twelve  to  keep  Me  company  in 
that  prayer  which  I  then  offered  to  My 
Father,  and  I  shall  make  thee  share  in  the 
mortal  sadness  that  I  willed  to  suffer  in  the 
Garden  of  Olives.  Thou  shalt  prostrate, 
thy  face  on  the  ground,  as  much  to  appease 
the  divine  wrath  by  imploring  mercy  for 
sinners  as  to  assuage  the  bitterness  that  I 
felt  from  the  abandonment  of  My  Apostles, 
which  forced  from  Me  the  reproach  that 
they  could  not  watch  one  hour  with  Me.' 

"  '  Fourthly,  I  demand  of  thee  that  the 
first  Friday  after  the  octave  of  Corpus 


16       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Christi  be  dedicated  as  a  special  feast  to 
honor  My  Heart,  by  communicating  on  that 
day  and  making  to  It  an  Act  of  Reparation 
to  repair  the  indignities  It  has  received 
during  the  time  It  was  exposed  on  the 
altars/  '; 

Private  homages,  public  honors,  more  fre 
quent  Communions,  more  prolonged  attend 
ance  near  His  Tabernacle  in  one  same 
prayer,  public  reparation  and  compensation 
—these  are  the  demands  of  the  Sacred 
Heart. 

Jesus  insists  on  this  point  of  reparation 
by  telling  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  to  offer 
herself  with  Him  as  a  victim  for  sinners, 
and  to  accept  the  chastisement  due  their 
sins  in  order  to  obtain  for  them  mercy. 

"  It  is  true,  My  daughter,  that  My  love 
has  made  every  sacrifice  for  men  without 
their  making  Me  any  return.  But  at  least 
do  thou  afford  Me  the  satisfaction  of  sup 
plying,  as  far  as  thou  art  able,  for  their 
ingratitude  by  the  merits  of  My  Sacred 
Heart.  For  that  purpose,  I  wish  to  give 
thee  My  Heart.  But  first  of  all,  I  seek 
for  this  Heart  a  victim  that  will  sacrifice 
self  as  a  host  of  immolation  for  the  accom 
plishment  of  My  designs." 

Our  Lord  demands  these  reparations  for 


First  Day.  17 

secret  sinners:  "  My  justice  is  irritated  and 
ready  to  punish  secret  sinners  by  manifest 
chastisements  if  they  do  not  penance.  I 
wish  to  make  thee  know  when  My  justice 
will  be  ready  to  deal  its  blows  upon  those 
criminal  heads.  It  will  be  when  thou  wilt 
feel  the  weight  of  My  sanctity  upon  thee. 
Thou  oughtest  then  to  raise  thy  heart  and 
hands  to  heaven  by  prayers  and  good 
works,  to  present  Me  continually  to  My 
Father  as  a  victim  of  love  immolated  for 
the  sins  of  the  world,  and  place  Me  as  a 
rampart  between  the  divine  justice  and  sin 
ners  in  order  to  obtain  My  mercy." 

Jesus  demanded,  above  all,  reparation 
for  the  time  in  which  sin  abounds,  namely, 
the  Carnival.  "  During  the  time  of  the 
Carnival,  Our  Lord  presented  Himself  to 
me  under  the  form  of  an  Ecce  Homo  laden 
with  His  Cross  and  all  covered  with  wounds 
and  bruises.  His  adorable  Blood  was  flow 
ing  on  all  sides,  and  He  said  to  me  with  a 
voice  painfully  sad :  '  Will  no  one  have 
pity  on  Me,  compassionate  and  share  My 
sorrow  in  the  pitiable  state  to  which  sin 
ners  have  reduced  Me,  especially  at  pres 
ent?' 

"  I  presented  myself  to  Him  and  pros 
trated  at  His  sacred  feet  with  tears  and 


18       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

groans.  He  laid  His  heavy  Cross  upon  my 
shoulders.  Feeling  myself  weighed  down 
by  it,  I  began  to  understand  better  the 
malice  and  gravity  of  sin.  I  detested  it  so 
strongly  in  my  heart  that  I  would  have  pre 
ferred  a  thousand  times  to  cast  myself  into 
hell  than  voluntarily  to  commit  one." 

The  reparation  that  Jesus  demanded  so 
earnestly  of  Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  the 
adorable  Heart  expects  from  all  Christians 
who  pretend  to  love  Him,  for  to  repair  is  to 
love,  and  not  to  repair  is  not  to  love. 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary  says :  "  The 
Sacred  Heart  demands  souls  reparatrix,  who 
will  give  Him  love  for  love  and  who  will 
most  humbly  implore  pardon  of  God  for  all 
the  injuries  done  Him.  By  means  of  this 
Divine  Heart,  it  will  belong  but  to  us  to 
satisfy  Divine  Justice." 

Let  us  sincerely  ask  strength  for  this,  and 
let  us  generously  resolve  to  "  fill  up  in  our 
body  what  is  wanting  to  the  Passion  "  of 
His  Heart. 

Pray  for  an  increase  of  adorers  of  our 
Eucharistic  Lord. 

May  the  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus  be 
blessed ! 

(50  days'  Indulgence.) 


Second 

THE  PRIMACY  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART. 

The  universal  primacy  belonging  to  Our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  by  every  title,  and  which 
ought  to  be  accorded  Him  by  the  worship 
of  heaven  and  earth,  is  magnificently  pic 
tured  by  St.  Paul  the  Apostle  in  the  follow 
ing  words :  "  Giving  thanks  to  God  the 
Father,  who  hath  made  us  worthy  to  be 
partakers  of  the  lot  of  the  saints  in  light. 
Who  hath  delivered  us  from  the  power  of 
darkness,  and  hath  translated  us  into  the 
kingdom  of  the  Son  of  His  love,  in  whom 
we  have  redemption  through  His  Blood,  the 
remission  of  sins:  who  is  the  image  of  the 
invisible  God,  the  first-born  of  every 
creature:  for  in  Him  were  all  things 
created  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  visible  and 
invisible,  whether  thrones  or  dominations,  or 
principalities,  or  powers:  all  things  were 
created  by  Him  and  in  Him:  and  He  is 
before  all,  and  by  Him  all  things  consist. 
And  He  is  the  Head  of  the  body,  the 
Church,  who  is  in  the  beginning,  the  first- 

19 


20       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

born  from  the  dead,  that  in  all  things  He 
may  hold  the  primacy:  Ut  sit  in  omnibus 
ipse  primatum  tenens;  because  in  Him  it 
hath  well  pleased  the  Father  that  all  ful 
ness  should  dwell :  Quia  in  ipso  complacuit 
omnen  plenitudmem  inhabitare  "(1). 

What  St.  Paul  says  of  Christ,  let  us  say 
of  His  Heart  deified  by  the  hypostatic 
union.  That  Heart  is  the  symbol  of  the  life, 
of  the  love,  and  of  the  sufferings  of  Jesus. 
All  primacy  belongs  to  Him  by  right.  We 
ought,  then,  in  very  truth,  to  give  Him 
everywhere  the  first  place,  since  the  pleni 
tude  of  all  perfection,  divine  and  human,  re 
sides  in  Him. 

ADORATION. 

To  the  Heart  of  the  Son  of  God  made 
Man  belongs  the  Primacy  of  being,  of  dig 
nity,  and  of  excellence.  We  ought  to  give 
Him  the  first  place  in  our  love,  our  worship, 
and  our  life. 

In  the  adorable  compound  of  the  Word 
Incarnate,  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  oc 
cupies  the  first  place,  because  It  is,  at  least 
as  the  symbol,  the  sanctuary  in  which  re 
sides  His  Divinity,  the  principle  of  His 

(i)  Coloss.  i,  12-19. 


Second  Day.  21 

divine  and  human  life,  the  furnace  of  His 
love,  the  source  of  His  virtues,  the  sublime 
strength  which  made  Him  embrace  and 
support  all  the  sufferings  of  His  Passion 
and  even  death  itself,  the  treasure-house  of 
all  the  gifts  of  grace  and  of  the  living  Gift 
of  Himself  in  the  Eucharist.  That  Heart 
is,  in  fine,  the  cause  of  His  own  glory,  and 
the  eternal  centre  of  the  glory  of  the  elect. 

The  Heart  of  Jesus  is  the  love  of  Jesus. 
Is  not  love  the  good  par  excellence,  the  good 
infinite  in  itself?  Deus  charitas  est,  and 
the  cause  of  all  the  good  that  has  ever  been 
created  in  the  world  of  nature  and  of  grace. 
Chantate  perpetua  dilexi  te,  ideo  atiraxi  te 
miserans.  Pere  Eymard  wrote :  "  The 
Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus  is  the  end  of  the 
Incarnation,  the  Redemption,  and  of  the 
Eucharist  Itself,  because  It  is  the  consum 
mation  of  love ! "  May  It  hold  the  first 
place  in  our  love,  also,  in  our  worship,  and 
in  our  life ! 

May  It  hold  the  first  place  in  our  love, 
by  our  esteeming  It  above  everything  else, 
by  our  preferring  It  to  everything  else !  Let 
us  make  in  our  heart  a  dwelling-place  re 
served  absolutely  for  It  alone,  which  It  may 
possess  without  division.  Let  ns  in  Its  re- 
4 


22       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

gard  practice  as  perfectly  as  possible  the 
First  Commandment,  "  loving  It  with  our 
whole  mind,  with  our  whole  heart,  with  our 
whole  soul,  with  all  our  will,  and  all  our 
strength." 

May  It  hold  the  first  place  in  our  worship 
in  such  a  way  that  all  our  religion,  all  our 
devotions,  whether  toward  Mary,  toward 
the  Passion,  even  toward  the  Eucharist,  may 
end  in  the  adorable  Heart  which  gave  us 
Mary  and  His  Blood,  and  which  ceases  not 
to  give  us  His  Sacrament! 

May  It  hold  the  first  place  in  our  life  in 
such  a  way  that  It  may  possess,  inspire,  con 
duct,  correct,  and  sanctify  our  whole  in 
terior  !  Let  us  make  profession  of  depend 
ing  on  It  in  everything,  and  of  doing  noth 
ing  but  to  serve  and  please  It,  of  being  de 
voted  and  consecrated  to  It,  immolated  to 
It  without  power  of  withdrawal.  This  is 
the  adoration  that  the  Primacy  of  Its 
unique  excellence,  Its  sovereign  dignity,  Its 
supreme  authority  demands  for  It.  It  is 
thus  that  It  will  reign  over  us. 

Blessed  Margaret  Mary  tells  us :  "  The 
Sacred  Heart  wishes  to  establish  Its  reign, 
and  It  has  said  to  me,  '  I  shall  reign !  I 
shall  reign  in  spite  of  Satan  and  of  all  those 


Second  Day.  23 

that  Satan  excites  in  opposition  to  It.  Satan 
and  his  adherents  shall  be  confused ! '  The 
adorable  Heart  of  Jesus  wishes  to  establish 
in  all  hearts  the  reign  of  Its  pure  love,  by 
proposing  to  Christians  in  these  last  ages 
the  object  and  the  means  most  proper  to  en 
gage  them  to  love  It,  and  to  love  It  solidly. 
This  is  what  It  has  given  Its  unworthy 
slave  to  understand.  May  all,  then,  yield 
to  It !  May  all  be  submissive,  may  all  obey 
Its  divine  love!  This  is  the  most  earnest 
desire  that  the  adorable  Heart  has  given 
me"(l). 

THANKSGIVING. 

The  Sacred  Heart  possesses  and  exercises 
in  our  behalf  the  Primacy  of  goodness  and 
love.  It  desires  to  hold  the  first  place  in 
our  gratitude. 

The  creature  having  no  right  over  God, 
no  debt  to  demand,  it  is  evident  that  all  the 
gifts  and  favors  of  nature,  of  grace,  and  of 
glory  flow  from  the  altogether  free,  spon 
taneous,  and  gratuitous  love  of  God.  God 
has  so  loved  the  world  as  to  give  it  His 


(1)  Vie  et  Oetivres  de  la  Bienheuretise  Mar 
guerite-Marie  Alacoque,  publication  du  monas- 
tere  de  la  Visitation  de  Paray-le-Monial .— Pous- 
sielque,  Paris. 


24       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

only  Son.  The  Son  so  loved  men  as  to  de 
liver  Himself  to  death  to  ransom  them.  He 
has  so  loved  His  own  who  are  still  on  earth 
as  to  go  to  the  extreme  limit  of  love  by 
making  Himself  their  never-failing  food; 
and  He  will  hereafter  love  them  so  much 
that  He  will  give  Himself  to  them  without 
measure  or  end  in  the  communication  of 
His  glory  and  beatitude :  "  Propter  nimiam 
charitatem  suam,  qua  dilexit  nos!"(l) 

How  could  it  be  possible  that  all  goods 
and  gifts  and  delicate  attentions,  all  lights 
and  helps  and  support,  all  consolations  and 
victories,  all  hopes  and  tenderness  and  joys 
would  not  be  ours  with  the  gift  of  Himself, 
which  Jesus  makes  so  generously  and  multi 
plies  so  abundantly?  "  Quomodo  non  etiam 
cum  illo  omnia  nobis  donavit? "(2) 

But  this  eternal  love  of  God,  which  gave 
to  us  the  Word  at  Bethlehem, — this  love  of 
the  Word  Incarnate,  which  gave  to  us  the 
Christ  of  Calvary,  which  still  gives  us  the 
Christ  of  the  Altar  with  all  His  gifts,  is  the 
Sacred  Heart.  When  revealing  It  to  the 
modern  world,  Jesus  says  in  an  outburst  of 
tenderness :  "  Behold  this  Heart  which  has 


(1)  Ephes.   ii,  4-6. 

(2)  Rom.    viii,    32. 


Second  Day.  25 

so  loved  men  that  It  has  spared  nothing, 
even  exhausting  and  consuming  Itself  in 
order  to  testify  to  them  Its  love !  "  Every 
good  thing,  then,  comes  to  us  from  that 
Heart,  and  it  is  thus  that  It  exercises  the 
Primacy  of  love  and  benevolence. 

In  return  for  all  this  love,  the  Sacred 
Heart  longs  to  hold  the  first  place  in  our 
gratitude.  To  satisfy  that  most  legitimate 
desire,  all  the  thanksgiving  of  our  heart 
should  incessantly  mount  toward  It ;  all  Its 
benefits  should  be  for  us  an  occasion  for  pro 
claiming  to  It  our  thanks.  For  life,  health, 
and  temporal  goods,  for  our  Christian  vo 
cation,  grace,  preservation  from  evil,  vic 
tory  over  temptation,  pardon  of  sin,  for 
faith  and  love,  for  every  act  of  virtue  and 
for  the  success  of  our  labors,  we  owe  that 
dear  Heart  thanks.  For  the  Holy  Mass 
and  Communion,  for  the  great  protection 
of  the  abiding  Presence  of  Jesus  in  the 
tabernacle,  for  the  never-failing  assistance  of 
our  guardian  angels,  for  the  maternal  love 
of  Mary,  our  Mother,  and  the  devoted 
vigilance  of  the  Holy  Church,  we  owe  heart 
felt  thanks.  For  these  and  all  other  bene 
fits,  our  hearts  should  spring  up  to  the 
Sacred  Heart,  devoting  itself  to  It  In 


26       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

humble,  faithful  gratitude — gratitude  that 
knows  no  bounds,  that  is  never  satisfied, 
but  that  is  constantly  seeking  to  express 
itself  still  more.  Yes,  our  gratitude  should 
lead  us  to  abandon  ourseves  blindly  to  Its 
ever-benevolent  guidance,  which  is  always 
aiming  at  our  welfare,  no  matter  what  It 
may  permit  to  befall  us. 

"  Jesus  Christ  made  known  to  me,"  says 
His  blessed  confidante,  Margaret  Marv 
"  that  He  wished  by  solid  devotion  to  His 
Divine  Heart,  to  gather  an  infinite  number 
of  faithful  servants,  of  perfect  friends,  and 
of  children  truly  grateful."  And  she  adds  • 
"  It  is  certain  that  there  is  no  one  in  the 
world  who  would  not  experience  all  kinds 
of  favors  from  Heaven  if  he  had  for  Jesus 
Christ  a  grateful  love  such  as  is  testified  to 
Him  by  devotion  to  His  Sacred  Heart." 

REPARATION. 

The  Sacred  Heart  claims  the  Primacy  of 
suffering  endured  for  redemption  from  sin. 
This  prerogative  gives  It  the  right  to  pos 
sess  the  first  place  in  the  compassion  of  our 
heart  and  in  our  contrition  for  sin. 

When  in  spite  of  all  the  sin  of  mankind 
and  the  irreparable  misfortunes  with  which 


Second  Day.  27 

they  inundated  the  world,  the  Son  of  God 
enjoyed   undiminished    plenitude   of   happi 
ness  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  His  love 
for  us  urged  Him  to  assume  the  responsi 
bility   of   our   prevarication   together    with 
its  rigorous    chastisement.     Having    taken 
for  that  end  the  possible  condition  of  guilty 
man  condemned  to  suffering  and  death,  He 
took  upon  Himself  all  our  sins  and  bore 
them  on  His  shoulders  even  to  the  Cross, 
that  He  might  wash  away  their  stains  in  His 
own  Blood  and  destroy  their  guilt  by  His 
death.     All  humiliations  and  ignominies,  ail 
sorrows  of  mind  and  heart,  all  sufferings 
that  bruise  and  wounds  that  tear  the  body, 
He  has  taken  upon  Himself.     He  has  em 
braced  them,  He  has  delivered  Himself  up 
to  them.     He  has  been  wounded,  devoured, 
consumed  by  them.     He  has  suffered  in  His 
own  Person  more  than  all  men  in  the  world 
ever  endured.     He  has  suffered  the  greatest 
possible  torments.     He  endured  them  in  all 
their  horror,  in  all  their  keenness,  without 
the    least    alleviation.     He    suffered    them 
freely  and  voluntarily.     He  sanctified  them, 
He  rendered  them  fruitful  by  His  perfect 
virtues  and  infinite  merits.     He  threw  into 
them    above  all,  His  love,  all  His  love  for 


The  Eucharist ic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

His  Father  in  order  to  avenge  Him,  to 
satisfy  Him,  and  all  His  love  for  man  in 
order  to  save  him.  And  His  Heart,  open 
upon  the  Cross  and  always  open  on  the 
altar,  the  first  Inspirer  of  this  design,  the 
principal  Instrument  of  this  work,  proclaims 
Its  Primacy  in  His  redemptory  suffering: 
"  Come  and  see  whether  there  be  sorrow  like 
unto  My  sorrow!"  Vlrum  dolorum!  He 
was  the  Man  of  sorrows.  He  exhausted  in 
Himself  the  reality  of  every  suffering: 
Sclent  em  infirmatem.  Jesus  is  the  only  one 
who  knew  how  to  render  sorrow  holy, 
vivifying,  victorious,  and  glorious.  He  is 
the  only  Repairer  of  God's  glory,  the  only 
Redeemer  of  all  mankind :  Si  posuerlt  pro 
peccato  aniniam  suam,  videbit  semen  lon- 
gcevum  ( 1 ) . 

Thus  does  Jesus  with  good  right  claim 
the  first  place  in  the  compassionate  love  of 
our  heart,  the  first  place  in  the  contrition 
and  penitence  which  we  ought  to  conceive 
for  our  sins,  and  in  the  implacable  hatred 
with  which  we  ought  to  pursue  sin.  Has 
He  not  a  right,  He  who,  for  love  of  us,  suf 
fered  more  to  restore  us  to  the  life  of  grace 

(1)     Is.  liii,  10. 


Second  Day.  29 

than  our  mother  did  in  giving  us  birth, — 
has  He  not  a  right  to  behold  our  heart  con 
secrated  to  compassionating  Him,  to  con 
soling  Him  with  all  the  tenderness  and  pity 
that  they  possess?  He  demands,  He  seeks. 
He  implores  this  consolation  from  His  re 
deemed:  Sustinui  qui  simul  contristaretur 
.  .  .  ct  qui  consolaretur (1).  "  Do  thou, 
at  least,"  did  He  say  to  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary,  "  do  thou  endeavor  to  comfort  Me  by 
making  Me  some  return  !  "  Ah !  let  us,  too, 
weep  over  Him  as  over  the  Being  the  most 
beloved  and  the  piost  to  be  pitied,  our  onlv 
Well-Beloved. 

Let  us  arm  ourselves  against  sin  with  love 
for  Him  who  was  its  innicent  Victim.  We 
conceive  true  sorrow,  generous  and  vic 
torious  hatred  for  evil  only  in  proportion  as 
we  see  in  sin  the  cause  of  all  the  sufferings 
and  death  of  the  Just  One  par  excellence, 
and  comprehend  that  the  malice  of  sin  is  as 
great  as  the  Passion  of  Jesus,  that  is  to  say 
infinite.  Let  us,  then,  pursue  it  to  the  death 
in  ourselves  and  in  souls,  wherever  it  makes 
ravages,  hourly  crucifying,  even  with  in 
creasing  hatred,  if  that  were  possible,  its 


(1)   Ps.   Ixviii,   21. 


30       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesuf. 

innocent  Victim.  We  shall  punish  it  by 
works  of  penance  generously  embraced. 
We  shall  expiate  it  by  courageously  ac 
cepting  the  pains  and  sufferings  sent  us  by 
Almighty  God. 

Disclosing  the  abyss  of  His  unfathomable 
bitterness,  Jesus  said :  "  What  I  endure 
from  their  ingratitude  is  more  painful  to  Me 
than  all  I  endured  in  My  Passion !  "  "  And 
He  asked  me,"  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"  whether  I  would  not  stay  by  Him  on  the 
Cross,  telling  me  that  I  ought  to  groan,  to 
weep  with  Him  incessantly  to  obtain  mercy, 
that  sin  might  not  reach  its  height,  and  that 
God  would  pardon  sinners  through  the  love 
He  bears  this  amiable  Heart."  The  gener 
ous  daughter  replied :  "  O  my  Saviour,  dis 
charge  upon  me  all  Thy  anger,  efface  me 
from  the  Book  of  Life,  rather  than  the  loss 
of  those  souls  that  have  cost  Thee  so  dear !  " 

PETITION. 

Prayer  supposes  two  essential  things: 
the  bountiful  liberality  of  God,  from  whom 
alone  can  come  to  the  creature  all  kinds  of 
benefits  necessary  for  furthering  him  on  to 
the  infinite  good,  which  is  eternal  happi 
ness;  and  the  power  of  intercession,  which 


Second  Day.  31 

moves  that  liberality  and  inclines  Him  to 
grant  us  His  gifts.  The  Sacred  Heart  here, 
again,  possesses  and  exercises  a  double 
Primacy,  that  of  beneficent  goodness,  and 
that  of  all-powerful  mediation. 

Heart  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  sum  total 
of  all  goodness,  It  is  the  ocean  of  all  created 
goods,  which  flow  from  this  inexhaustible 
source.  It  is  "  from  the  treasury  of  this 
Divine  Heart,"  infinitely  good,  that  are 
ceaselessly  brought  forth  "  all  good  things 
both  old  and  new."  It  glories  in  being 
prodigal  and  magnificent  when  invoked  with 
confidence.  "  You  have  never  asked  any 
thing  of  Me.  Ask,  then,  and  you  shall  re 
ceive  ;  for,  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  if  you  abide 
in  Me,  if  you  continue  to  pray  lovingly  to 
Me,  whatever  you  demand,  shall  be  granted 
you." 

Heart  of  man  deified,  It  is  the  Heart  of 
the  Priest  infinitely  pure  and  loving,  always 
pleasing  to  the  Father,  always  heard  by 
Him.  It  is  the  Heart  of  the  Sacred  Victim 
who  has  purchased  with  His  Blood  all  kinds 
of  benefits  for  redeemed  man. 

Heart  of  Man  victorious,  It  has  received 
by  a  new  title  of  conquest  the  full  posses 
sion  and  sovereign  dispensation  o£  all  riches 


32       The  Eu char istic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

for  men  now  become  Its  happy  subjects.  By 
all  these  titles,  It  is  the  perfect  and  all- 
powerful  Mediator,  the  only  Mediator  by 
right,  through  whom  we  are  sure  of  being 
heard  and  of  having  our  prayers  granted. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  Jesus  wishes  to 
possess  the  first  place  in  our  confidence,  our 
hopes,  and  our  prayers.  It  is  to  Him,  above 
all  other  mediators,  however  powerful  or 
benevolent  they  may  be,  that  we  must  make 
known  our  desires,  raise  our  eyes,  and  ex 
tend  our  hands.  It  is  to  Him  that  we  must 
discover  the  shocking  state  of  our  wants, 
our  miseries,  our  wounds,  how  deep  soever 
they  may  be,  however  incurable  they  may 
appear.  It  is  by  Him,  by  His  intercession 
as  universal  and  eternal  High  Priest,  by  His 
indefatigable  pleading  as  our  almighty  Ad 
vocate,  that  all  our  requests  must  ascend. 
If  our  confidence  wavers,  if  our  prayers 
hesitate,  Jesus  has  no  longer  in  our  hearts 
the  undisputed  and  incontestable  Primacy 
that  He  ought  always  to  hold  there. 

Is  not  the  Sacred  Heart  the  Heart  of  the 
merciful  Priest,  compassionating  all  our 
needs,  because  It  has  Itself  experienced 
them?  of  the  faithful  Priest,  who  has  bur 
dened  Himself  with  all  our  interests,  and 


Second  Day.  33 

who  stands  before  God,  always  interced 
ing  for  us?  of  the  eternal  Priest,  in  fine, 
who,  upon  our  earthly  altars  as  on  that  of 
glory,  never  ceases  to  offer  His  Sacrifice  of 
infinite  value  for  our  salvation?  "It  is  by 
Him,  O  Lord,  Thou  dost  always  create, 
sanctify,  quicken,  bless,  and  give  us  all  these 
good  things — Per  qucm  hacc  omnia  semper 
bona  crcas,  sanctificas,  vivificas  bcnedicis  ct 
praestas  nobis  "  ( 1 ) . 

Let  us,  then,  seconded  by  the  saints  and 
their  Queen,  go  straight  to  the  Sacred 
Heart.  Let  us  implore  It  and  always,  in 
every  conjecture  and  for  everything,  pray 
by  It.  Let  us  invoke  It  for  ourselves  and 
our  brethren,  for  the  whole  world,  the  world 
of  the  living  and  that  of  the  dead.  It  has 
charge  of  all,  and  It  is  sufficient  for  all. 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  Its  confidante, 
writes :  "  Our  Lord  gave  me  to  understand 
that  His  Heart  is  the  Saint  of  saints,  the 
Saint  of  love,  that  He  wishes  It  to  be  known 
in  our  day  that  It  may  be  the  Mediator  be 
tween  God  and  men,  for  It  is  all-powerful  to 
procure  us  peace  and  mercy,  by  turning 
away  the  chastisements  which  our  sins  have 
attracted." 


(1)   Canon   of  the   Mass. 


34       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Est  ante  omnes,  ipse  caput  .  .  .  qui 
est  principium  .  .  .  primogenitus:  O 
Sacred  Heart,  whom  I  adore  in  Thy  hidden 
Presence,  and  yet  so  living  and  so  loving  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament,  Thou  art  above  all 
things,  the  Head,  the  Principle,  the  First 
born  of  all  hearts!  To  Thee  in  my  heart, 
in  all  hearts,  be  the  first  place,  the  Primacy, 
recognized,  loved,  adored,  obeyed,  forever 
established  and  forever  invoked :  Ut  sit 
ipse  in  omnibus  priinatum  tencns. 

Pray  for  an  increase  of  devotion  among 
the  Faithful  toward  the  Eucharistic  Heart 
of  Jesus. 

May  the  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus  be 
blessed. 

(50  days'  Indulgence.) 


Ubfrfc 

A    CALL  TO   ADORE  THE  EUCHARISTIC    HEART. 

"  Come,  let  us  praise  the  Lord  with  joy, 
let  us  joyfully  sing  to  God,  our  Saviour. 
Let  us  come  before  His  presence  with 
thanksgiving,  and  make  a  joyful  noise  to 
Him  with  psalms;  for  the  Lord  is  a  great 
God,  and  a  great  King  above  all  gods.  For 
in  His  hands  are  all  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
and  the  heights  of  the  mountains  are  His. 
For  the  sea  is  His,  and  He  made  it,  and  His 
hands  formed  the  dry  land."  (Ps.  xciv.) 

ADORATION. 

This  Psalm,  as  its  text  expresses  and  as 
commentators  agree,  is  a  call  to  prayer,  an 
invitation  to  divine  worship.  The  Church 
has  chosen  it  for  the  "  Invitatory  "  of  her 
Breviary,  by  which  she  daily  exhorts  her 
sacred  ministers  in  the  name  of  the  Faithful 
to  acquit  themselves  toward  God  of  the  chief 
duty  of  public  praise.  Adoration  of  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament  is  one  of  the  forms 
of  worship  and  praise.  This  Psalm  con- 

35 


36       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

tains,  then,  the  call  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who 
inspired  it,  to  all  Christians  to  come  before 
the  real  and  merciful  Presence  of  God  on 
our  altars,  there  to  render  their  homage  of 
adoration,  praise,  and  prayer. 

Logically  analyzed,  this  Psalm  contains: 
a  pressing  exhortation  to  come  and  adore 
the  Lord  in  His  temple ;  an  enumeration  of 
His  titles  to  our  adoration,  which  create 
for  us  so  many  duties  on  that  point ;  the  in 
dication  of  a  certain  number  of  acts  which 
our  adoration  ought  to  comprise  ;  and,  lastly, 
the  very  grave  penalty  fulminated  by  the 
Lord  against  an  absolute  refusal  to  adore 
Him.  From  this  we  may  justly  fear  that 
negligence  to  adore  Him  as  much  and  as 
well  as  He  has  a  right  to  expect  of  us  in 
dividually,  will  not  go  without  its  punish 
ment. 

"  Venite! "  Come,  says  the  Holy  Ghost 
by  the  mouth  of  the  Psalmist,  hasten!  no 
hesitation,  no  delay !  Leave  your  couch,  go 
out  of  your  dwelling,  discontinue  your  labor, 
interrupt  your  wordly  conversations,  quit 
every  other  occupation,  in  order  to  fulfil  the 
great  work  of  prayer  !  That  is  the  principal 
duty  of  life,  the  only  duty  absolutely  neces 
sary,  under  one  form  or  another,  in  a  de- 


Third  Day.  3? 

gree  more  or  less  great,  but  from  which  no 
one,  in  whatever  place,  in  whatever  state  he 
may  live,  can  be  entirely  dispensed.  It  is 
the  chief  end  of  the  rational  creature,  for 
prayer  constitutes  the  personal  service  of 
God,  and  man  is  created,  above  all  else,  to 
praise  and  serve  God.  "  Venite!  " 

Come  in  the  morning  to  consecrate  your 
day  to  God.  Come  in  the  morning  before 
your  daily  occupations  have  engrossed  your 
attention  and  your  time,  and  thus  secure  to 
God  His  share,  for  He  ought  always  to 
come  first.  Come  in  the  evening  to  finish 
your  day  in  Him  who  is  to  be  the  eternal 
end  of  your  life,  and  to  submit  all  its  ac 
tions  to  Him  who  will  on  the  last  day  judge 
them  without  appeal.  Come  even  at  night, 
because  the  night  belongs  to  Him  as  well 
as  the  day.  Come  to  sanctify  it  by  the  part 
of  it  that  you  will  offer  to  Him  in  sacrifice, 
and  by  the  salutary  repose  He  permits  you 
to  take  during  it.  Come,  then,  come  from 
all  sides.  Hasten  !  "  Venite!  " 

"Let  us  come  before  His  presence!"  Let 
us  seek  the  Face  of  the  Lord,  and  let  us 
come  into  His  Presence,  for  His  Face,  His 
adorable  Countenance,  or  His  Presence,  are 
one  and  the  same  holy  and  desirable  realitv. 


38       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

What!  is  it  necessary  to  leave  the  place  in 
which  we  are  in  order  to  seek  the  Face  of 
the  Lord  when  there  is  question  of  adoring 
and  praising  Him?  Is  not  God  present 
everywhere?  Is  not  every  one  of  us  very 
near  to  Him,  so  that  we  "  are,  we  live,  and 
we  move  in  Him  ?  "  Is  it  not  easy  to  dis 
cover  Him,  to  bless  Him,  under  the  features 
of  all  creatures,  whose  first  reason  for  exist 
ing  is  to  manifest  by  reflection  His  beauty, 
His  power,  and  His  goodness?  Certainly, 
this  universal  Presence  of  God  in  nature  is 
very  real.  It  is  the  attribute  of  His  im 
mensity,  which  contains  all  things  ;  of  His 
all-seeing  eye,  whose  glance  penetrates 
everywhere ;  and  of  His  power,  which  main 
tains  and  animates  every  being.  This  Pres 
ence  wills  to  be  recognized  and  adored  by 
reason,  respected  by  submission  to  the  order 
that  It  establishes,  and  by  flight  from  sin 
which  disturbs  It.  It  wills  to  be  served  by 
the  right  use  of  all  the  goods  It  has  created, 
and  loved  through  gratitude  for  the  benefits 
of  which  It  is  the  generous  dispenser. 
Viewed  in  the  light  of  supernatural  revela 
tion,  It  demands  the  faith,  hope,  love,  and 
praise  of  the  heart,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
lips. 


Third  Day.  39 

But  because  It  is  necessary  and  invisible 
in  Itself,  It  testifies  on  the  part  of  God  less 
love  for  man,  and  It  is  to  him  less  accessible 
and  less  favorable  than  certain  other  forms 
of  presence,  by  which  God  has  willed  to  re 
veal  Himself  to  His  privileged  creature  and 
enter  into  relations  with  him.  Such,  for  in 
stance,  is  the  supernatural,  but  altogether 
spiritual,  presence  by  which  God  in  the 
Trinity  of  His  Persons,  dwells  in  the  soul 
justified  by  grace;  such,  also,  was  the  Pres 
ence,  partly  sensible,  by  which  He  willed  to 
abide  in  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  and  later 
in  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem.  "  I  shall  be 
there  all  days  in  the  midst  of  My  people," 
He  said.  "  My  eyes  will  be  open,  My  ears 
attentive,  and  My  Heart  ready  to  receive 
the  petition  of  all  that  come  to  pray  to  Me 
therein."  The  throne  of  this  merciful 
Presence  was  called  the  "  propitiatory,"  that 
is,  the  place  chosen  by  God  to  draw  near  to 
His  people,  to  receive  their  religious  hom 
age,  both  public  and  private,  and  to  grant 
them  help.  Now,  it  was  to  that  Temple,  to 
the  foot  of  that  altar,  that  the  Psalmist  ex 
horted  the  adorers  of  the  true  God  to  go 
seek  His  ever-helpful  Presence  and  to  find 


40       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

His  ever-benevolent  Countenance.     "  Let  us 
come  before  His  presence!" 

THANKSGIVING. 

This  presence,  however,  is  symbolical 
and  the  signs  that  reveal  this  "  Face  "  of 
God  are  foreign  to  Him.  Ah !  Lord,  if 
Thou  wouldst  only  take  a  human  face,  ani 
mated  by  a  human  soul,  whose  glance  could 
divine  the  affections  of  our  heart,  and  whose 
lips  could  express  the  thoughts  of  our  mind ! 
If  Thou  wouldst  take  a  face  like  our  own, 
which  we  could  see,  could  recognize  with 
our  eyes,  and  could  not  forget  when  out  of 
sight !  If  Thou  wouldst  take  a  human  face 
that  would  at  the  same  time  be  a  divine 
Face,  because  Thy  divine  Face,  that  is,  Thy 
eternal  nature,  would  shine  through  its 
features,  and  because  one  of  Thy  Divine 
Persons  had  formed  it  and  united  it  to  Him 
self  to  make  of  it  His  own  countenance  for 
ever!  Lord,  how  the  whole  earth  would 
then  long  for  Thy  Face,  and  with  what 
eagerness  Thy  people  would  seek  Thy  Pres 
ence,  now  become  human,  though  remain 
ing  all  divine !  "  Vultum  tuum  desiderat 
universa  terra!" 

Ah!    Thou   hast   heard   this    longing,    O 


Third  Day.  41 

good  God,  and  hast  satisfied  this  need  of 
earth !  And  we  have  seen  the  Word  made 
Flesh  dwelling  among  us,  full  of  grace  and 
truth,  showing  us  "  in  the  goodness,  the 
amenity,  and  the  smile  of  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  all  that  there  is  in  Thee  of  love  and 
mercy  for  men !  "  And  Thy  human  Pres 
ence,  which  the  world  began  to  enjoy  at 
Bethlehem,  Thou  didst  not  withdraw  from 
it  even  "when  the  time  had  come  for  Thee 
to  transfer  It  to  the  right  hand  of  the 
Father,  there  to  receive  Its  glorious  recom 
pense.  But  simply  hiding  Its  splendor  by 
the  sacramental  veil,  Thou  remainest  with 
us  always  God  made  Man  in  the  Eucharistic 
tabernacles  everywhere  multiplied.  It  is  in 
them  Thou  dost  await  our  religious  hom 
age  due  to  Thy  Divinity  and  Humanity.  It 
is  in  them  that  we  must  seek  Thee  if  wo 
would  freely  pray  to  Thee  with  confidence 
and  love,  since  there  it  is  that,  remaining 
our  Lord  and  our  God,  Thou  art  at  the  same 
time  our  Father  and  our  Pastor,  our  Priest 
and  our  Brother,  like  unto  ourselves! 

ff  Venite,  pr&occupemus  faciem  ejus! 
Come,  then,  all !  Hasten  to  the  Presence 
of  the  Lord  and  adore  Him !  " 


42       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

REPARATION. 

The  Psalmist  enumerates  a  certain  num 
ber  of  reasons  very  capable  of  leading  souls 
to  adore  God,  the  meditation  of  which  in  His 
holy  Presence  should  send  up  from  our 
heart  to  His  throne  acts  of  adoration  and 
canticles  of  praise. 

First,  "  The  Lord  is  a  great  God  and  a 
great  King  above  all  gods  :  Quoniam  Dens 
ma  gnus,  ct  Rex  magnus  siuper  omnes  deos." 
The  Psalmist  here  proclaims  the  essential 
excellence  of  the  Divine  Being,  which  puts 
Him  in  a  rank  absolutely  apart  and  infinitely 
above  all  created  beings.  His  is  by  nature 
infinite,  and  the  only  infinite, — infinite  in 
being,  infinite  in  perfection,  infinite  in  ac 
tion,  infinite  in  power,  infinite  in  duration. 
He  transcends  all  created  beings — the 
kings  of  the  earth,  the  demons  (whom  men, 
dazzled  by  their  power,  call  gods),  and 
even  the  angels,  those  gods  created  to  serve 
the  one  only  great  Lord  and  God.  To  Him, 
therefore,  on  account  of  this  incommuni 
cable  excellence,  give  the  adoration  that 
belongs  but  to  Him  alone.  To  Him  the 
praise  that  He  alone  deserves,  in  which 
every  creature  should  disappear  and  be  an- 


Third  Day.  43 

nihilated,  since  He  alone  exists  of  Himself 
and  alone  has  -a  right  to  be :  "  Quoniam 
Deus  magnus  Dominus  et  Rex  magnus  super 
omnes  deosl " 

Again,  this  great  God,  who  exists  of  Him 
self,  is  the  Creator  of  all  that  is,  both  on 
land  and  on  sea.  His  power  and  immen 
sity  have  hollowed  out  the  fathomless 
abysses  of  the  ocean.  The  strength  and 
skill  of  His  hands  have  consolidated  the  con 
tinents  and  fashioned  the  wonders  that 
cover  them :  "  Quoniam  ipsius  est  mare,  ct 
ipsc  fecit  illud;  et  sic  cam  manus  ejus  for- 
maverunt — For  the  sea  is  His,  and  He  made 
it,  and  His  hands  formed  the  dry  land." 
And  because  these  mighty  wonders  of  cre 
ation  with  all  that  they  contain,  are  born 
of  His  thought  and  exist  but  by  His  will, 
they  belong  to  Him  by  right.  If  man  is  al 
lowed  to  enjoy  them,  it  is  because  it  pleased 
the  great  God  to  create  them  for  his  use  and 
happiness.  "  Quoniam  ipsius  est  mare!" 

The  sole  Creator  of  all  that  exists,  hav 
ing  of  His  own  free  will  called  them  forth 
from  the  abyss  of  His  being,  He  is  their 
absolute  Master  and  Sovereign  Ruler. 
However  extended  the  frontiers  of  His  vast 
empire,  one,  as  they  are,  with  the  universe 


44       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

itself,  He  tranquilly  holds  them  in  His 
hand,  which  knows  no  weariness  in  govern 
ing  them  :  "  Quia  in  manu  ejus  sunt  omnes 
fines  terrae — For  in  His  hand  are  all  the 
ends  of  the  earth."  However  elevated  the 
mountain  summits.  He  rules  them  with  all 
the  dwellers  upon  them,  in  the  might  of  His 
boundless  authority :  "  Et  altitudines  mon- 
tium  ipsius  sunt — And  the  heights  of  the 
mountains  are  His."  The  Roman  psalter 
says  that  the  Lord  "  sees  under  His  feet  the 
heights  of  the  mountains — Et  altitudines 
montium  ipse  conspicit."  It  is  again  the 
idea  of  God's  supreme  dominion  over  all  that 
He  has  created,  with  this  difference,  that 
things  the  highest,  in  the  moral,  as  well  as 
in  the  material  world,  dignities  and  royalty, 
ambition  and  domination,  science  and  riches, 
power  and  pride, — all,  all  He  regards  with 
supreme  disdain,  as  a  grain  of  sand  under 
His  feet,  and  men  who  vaunt  themselves  on 
such  things  appear  in  His  eyes  like  atoms 
scarcely  emerged  from  nothingness:  "  Et 
altitudines  montium  ipse  conspicit!  " 

Another  title  which  God  has  to  our  hom 
age,  one  which  touches  us  very  closely  and 
which  presses  upon  us  with  still  greater 
weight,  is  that  He  has  made  us,  that  He 


Third  Day.  45 

is  the  Creator  of  man:  "  Adoremus.  .  .  . 
Domimts  qui  fecit  nos."  It  is  He  that  made 
us,  He,  God  in  Three  Persons,  having  con 
ceived  the  idea  before  all  ages  and  enter 
tained  the  design  in  His  eternal  love :  "  Qui 
fecit  nos!  "  It  is  He  who  made  us  with  His 
divine  hands,  lovingly  fashioning  us  with 
paternal  care  to  His  own  image  and  likeness, 
not  only  by  impressing  His  own  intelligent 
and  loving  nature  upon  our  intelligence  and 
will,  but  by  the  supernatural  communi 
cation  of  His  own  life  in  the  gift  of  sancti 
fying  grace,  by  the  communication  of  His 
own  knowledge  in  the  gift  of  faith,  and  of 
His  own  love  in  the  gift  of  divine  charity: 
"  Ipse  fecit  nos!"  It  is  He  who  made  us, 
masterpieces  and  kings  of  the  world  of 
nature  by  the  perfection  of  our  rational 
nature,  children  of  His  divine  Paternity, 
brethren  of  Jesus,  His  first-born,  and  heirs 
of  His  glory  by  the  entirely  gratuitous  adop 
tion  that  He  willed  to  make  of  us :  (C  Ipse 
fecit  nos!"  Ah!  what  love  on  His  side,  and 
what  magnificent  gifts  to  us !  What  honor 
and  greatness  and  glory  for  us  in  that  this 
great  God  has  willed  to  be  our  Creator  and 
we  are  His  creatures:  "Adoremus  eum 
.  .  .  qui  fecit  nos!" 

5 


46       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

PETITION. 

But  all  this  was  not  enough.  Having 
made  us,  the  great  God  willed  to  protect  us 
and  lead  us  to  our  eternal  destiny.  He  con 
stituted  Himself  "  our  God  and  our  Father, 
and  we  are  become  the  people  of  His  pasture 
and  the  sheep  of  His  hand :  "  Quia  ipse  est 
Dominus  Deus  noster,  nos  autem  populus 
pascuae  ejus  et  oves  manus  ejus."  It  is  the 
touching  and  marvellous  mystery  of  the  pa 
ternal  providence  of  God  over  His  elect  that 
the  Psalmist  evokes  in  these  words,  and 
which  demands  our  grateful  adoration.  It 
is  His  providence  that  disposes  the  sure 
ways  that  lead  to  heaven,  that  makes  us  en 
ter  therein,  conducting  us  by  the  hand.  It  is 
His  providence  that  protects  us  and  defends 
us  on  those  ways,  that  helps  us  with  its  suc 
cors,  that  arms  and  furnishes  us  with  all 
the  means  of  salvation.  His  providence  it 
is  that  feeds  us  with  Divine  Bread,  which  He 
sends  us  every  day  from  heaven,  which  con 
tains,  with  all  the  virtue  to  sustain  and  de 
velop  our  life,  all  the  remedies  to  cure  our 
infirmities,  and  all  the  sweetness  to  console 
and  enliven:  "Nos  populus  pascuae  ejus 
et  oz'cs  nmmis  ejus!" 


Third  Day.  47 

Why,  excepting  by  our  pride,  our  malice, 
and  ingratitude,  our  blindness  and  folly,  are 
we  become  creatures  turned  against  this 
Creator,  subjects  revolted  against  this 
Sovereign,  ungrateful  children  toward  this 
Father,  and  sheep  escaped  from  the  crook 
of  this  Shepherd?  This  is  a  monstrosity 
capable  of  casting  earth  and  heaven  into  a 
state  of  stupor  and  indignation.  It  imposes 
upon  us  the  obligation  of  adoring,  by  the 
sincere  confession  of  our  sins  and  by  the 
bitter  tears  of  our  broken  heart,  the  good 
ness  and  holiness,  the  justice  and  mercy  of 
God  :  "  Plorcmus  ante  Dominum — Let  us 
weep  before  the  Lord !  "  This  spontaneous 
and  penitent  avowal  made  here  below  before 
the  merciful  Face  of  the  Lord,  is  alone  cap 
able  of  preserving  us  from  the  public  ac 
cusation  and  eternal  condemnation  that  we 
shall  have  to  undergo  before  the  irritated 
Face  of  the  formidable  Judge  when  He  shall 
appear  to  judge  all  men:  " Prceoccupemus 
faciem  ejus  in  confessione — Let  us  come  be 
fore  His  Presence  with  thanksgiving !  " 

A  last  motive  for  adoration  proposed  by 
the  Psalmist  is :  "  God  is  our  salvation — 
Jubilemus  Deo  salutari  nostro."  As  we 
owe  Him  adoration  because  He  is  our  first 


48       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

principle,  being  our  Creator  and  the  source 
of  all  our  goods,  we  owe  it  to  Him,  also,  as 
to  our  last  end,  our  necessary  end,  for  whose 
service  and  advantage  alone  we  were 
created.  He  is  the  supreme  end  dominating 
all  our  life,  commanding  and  directing  it, 
calling  us,  at  last,  to  Himself  to  terminate 
our  earthly  career,  as  well  as  to  judge  us. 
All  that  is  conformed  to  this  end  is  good, 
all  that  is  contrary  to  it  is  bad.  Now,  God, 
in  His  entirely  gratuitous  bounty,  has  willed 
to  be  Himself  our  last  end,  and  that  the  pos 
session  of  Him  should  constitute  our  su 
preme  perfection,  our  supreme  rest.  Before 
that  man  should  fall,  God  willed  to  sanctify 
him  for  his  noble  end;  and  after  he  had 
fallen,  He  willed  to  raise  him  up  and  re 
deem  him  from  the  eternal  death  which  he 
had  incurred.  It  is  in  this  that  God  is  our 
salvation  :  "  Jubilemus  Deo  salutari  nostro 
— Let  us  rejoice  in  God,  our  Salvation!" 
He  is  the  object  of  our  salvation,  proposing 
Himself  as  our  infinite  recompense  and 
eternal  beatitude.  He  is  the  Agent  of  our 
salvation,  having  become  incarnate  and  hav 
ing  died,  thus  acquiring  all  the  merits,  and 
disposing  all  the  necessary  means  to  enable 
us  to  reach  salvation:  ff Jubilemus  Deo 


Third  Day.  4:9 

salutari  nostro."  By  this  title  we  owe  to 
God  the  adoration  of  hope  and  that  of 
prayer,  demanding  of  Him  insistently,  and 
firmly  expecting  from  Him  alone,  the  helps 
of  salvation  faithfully  to  pursue  our  jour 
ney  here  below ;  the  grace  of  final  persever 
ance,  which  alone  assures  salvation;  and 
lastly,  the  glory  which  puts  the  soul  in  the 
definitive  possession  of  God.  Let  us,  then, 
adore  our  Salvation  and  our  Saviour  and,  as 
says  the  text  of  St.  Jerome :  "  The  un 
shaken  rock  of  our  salvation — Jubilemus 
petrae  Jesu  nostro!" 

Pray  that  you  may  hunger  for  Holy  Com 
munion. 

O   Sacred   Heart  of  Jesus,   I   confide   ;n 
Thee. 

(300  days'  Indulgence.} 


ffourtb 


JOY  AND  TEARS  BEFORE  THE  EUCHARISTIC 
HEART. 

Come,  let  us  adore  and  fall  dozvn,  and 
weep  before  the  Lord  that  made  us.  For 
He  is  the  Lord,  our  God,  and  we  are  the 
people  of  His  pasture  and  the  sheep  of  His 
hand.  Today  if  you  shall  hear  His  voice, 
harden  not  your  hearts,  as  in  the  provoca 
tion,  according  to  the  day  of  temptation  in 
the  wilderness,  where  your  fathers  tempted 
Me.  They  proved  Me,  and  saw  My  works. 
Forty  long  years  was  I  offended  with  that 
generation,  and  I  said:  These  always  err 
in  heart.  And  these  men  have  not  known 
My  ways;  so  I  swore  in  My  wrath  that  they 
shall  not  enter  into  My  rest.  (Ps.  xciv.) 

ADORATION. 

In  this  Psalm  the  Holy  Spirit  reveal 
many  reasons  for  adoring  God  in  the  sanc 
tuaries  consecrated  to  His  Real  and  Per 
sonal  Presence.  He  teaches,  also,  some  of 
50 


Fourth  Day.  51 

the  forms  that  may  be  lawfully  used  to  ex 
press  our  homage  of  adoration. 

"  Adoremus  et  procidamus."  This  is  the 
first  act  of  adoration,  exterior  adoration: 
Procidamus;  and  of  interior  adoration: 
Adoremus.  As  soon  as  we  appear  before 
the  Face  of  God,  it  is  our  duty  to  recognize 
Him,  to  salute  Him  by  an  exterior  and  pub 
lic  sign.  And  since  His  Presence  is  that  of 
the  Divine  Majesty,  before  whom  the  angels 
constantly  prostrate ;  since  It  is  that  of  the 
risen  Christ,  before  whom  every  knee  should 
bow  in  heaven,  on  earth,  and  even  in  hell,  we 
cannot  do  better  than  to  bend  our  knees  be 
fore  Him  and  profoundly  incline  our  head. 
This  attitude  is  that  of  respect,  of  religion, 
of  dependence,  which  is  proper  for  the 
creature  before  his  Creator,  for  the  subject 
before  his  King,  for  the  servant  before  his 
Lord,  for  the  criminal  in  presence  of  his 
Judge  whom  he  wishes  to  appease.  "Pro 
cidamus!  Let  us  fall  down." 

" Adoremus!"  Interior  adoration  ought 
to  accompany  that  of  the  body,  and  give  to 
it  a  soul  to  render  it  true  and  spiritual,  con 
sequently,  pleasing  to  God  who,  being  spirit 
and  truth,  wishes  that  they  who  adore  Him 
should  do  so  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Adora- 


52       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

tion  should  express  man's  nothingness  in 
presence  of  the  plenitude  of  the  Divine 
Being,  man's  universal  submission  before 
the  fulness  of  the  sovereign  rights  of  God, 
the  gift  of  self  to  Him  who  is  our  principle 
and  our  end,  by  the  sacrifice  of  everything 
that  we  are  and  of  all  that  we  possess  to  His 
holy  will  and  good  pleasure.  "  Adoremus! 
—Let  us  adore !  " 

"  Exult  emus  Domino! — Let  us  joyfully 
sing  to  the  Lord !  "  Let  us  be  joyful,  let  us 
thrill  with  gladness,  let  our  heart  bound  with 
joy  when  before  the  Lord !  Is  not  this  wor 
ship  of  happiness,  of  joy,  of  thanksgiving, 
as  rightful  as  it  is  necessary  when  God 
grants  us  the  honor  and,  at  the  same  time, 
the  favor  of  admitting  us  to  His  Presence? 
Propriety,  respect,  good  manners,  are  not 
sufficient,  joy  must  shine  forth.  Do  we  not 
feel  glad  when  gazing  upon  some  marvellous 
beauty?  when  meeting  some  one  whom  we 
very  much  love?  To  behold  one  day  His 
Face  unveiled  will  be  infinite  blessedness, 
and  to  go  into  His  eternal  dwelling  will  be  to 
plunge  into  an  ocean  of  joy.  Although  the 
sacramental  cloud  that  envelops  His  Pres 
ence  extends  its  shadow  over  our  heart  to 
moderate  ;the  expression  of  our  joy,  tfre 


Fourth  Day.  53 

sentiment  of  it  should  be  neither  less  pro 
found  nor  less  lively.  Like  John  the  Bap 
tist,  though  beholding  his  God  through  the 
immaculate  cloud  of  Mary's  womb,  let  us 
tremble  with  happiness  when  the  star  of  the 
sanctuary  announces  to  us  that  He  is  there. 
"  Exult  emus  Domino!  " 

"  fubilemus  Deo,  et  in  p salmis  jubilemus  ci 
—Let  us  joyfully  sing  to  God,  and  make  a 
joyful  noise  to  Him  with  Psalms !  "  If  the 
heart  is  full  of  joy,  of  necessity  it  pours  it 
self  out  in  songs  and  canticles.  Inward 
speech  is  not  sufficient  for  it,  nor  discreet 
effusions,  nor  a  moderate  tone.  It  must  cry 
aloud  its  happiness.  Besides,  as  songs  are 
one  of  the  forms  of  homage  rendered  to 
princes  and  victors,  one  of  the  features  of 
feasts  and  rejoicings  among  men,  are  can 
ticles  in  which  the  voices  are  supported  and 
perfected  by  musical  instruments.  We 
thus  express  our  gratitude  to  God.  It  is  by 
hymns,  in  which  admiration,  love,  en 
thusiasm  break  away  from  that  calm  range 
of  prose,  that  we  celebrate  in  harmonious 
rhythm  and  all  the  freedom  of  poetry  His 
perfections,  His  greatness,  and  the  wonders 
of  His  love:  (( Et  in  psalmis,  jubilemus 
ei!"  Let  us,  then,  sing  to  the  Lord,  min- 
6 


54       The  Eucharist ic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

gling  our  voices  with  those  of  the  choirs  of 
monks  and  nuns  who  solemnize  the  praises 
of  the  liturgical  Office !  Let  us  sing  to  the 
Lord,  uniting  our  acclamations  with  those 
that  accompany  the  public  Sacrifice,  in 
which  the  Lamb  gives  to  God  transcendent 
praise  by  the  voice  of  His  Blood.  If  it  is 
in  private  that  we  fulfil  the  duty  of  adora 
tion,  let  us  still  sing,  but  in  our  hearts,  as  the 
angels  chant  around  the  altar,  as  did  Cecilia 
on  the  day  of  her  voluntary  immolation  to 
the  love  of  the  Divine  Spouse :  "  Et  in 
p salmis  jubilemus  eil" 

THANKSGIVING. 

"  Praoccupemus  faciem  ejus  in  confes- 
sione.  .  .  .  et  ploremus  ante  Domi- 
num!"  The  confession (1),  the  avowal  of 
our  actual  sins,  of  our  past  sins,  of  our  pas 
sions,  our  defects,  our  ignorance ;  the  sin 
cere  and  humble  avowal ;  the  repeated  ac- 


(1)  "  Praeoccupemus  faciem  ejus  in  confes- 
sione." — This  verse  may  be  understood  in  two 
ways:  first,  that  we  come  before  the  Lord  to 
praise  Him;  secondly,  as  the  Prophet  teaches,  the 
confession  of  our  own  miseries  may  be  mingled 
with  the  praise  of  God's  mercy.  The  Fathers 
concur  in  this  latter  exposition.  Bellarm.,  Com. 
Ps.  xciv,  2. 


Fourth  Day.  55 

knowledgment,  which  implores  pardon  of 
infinite  Mercy ;  the  avowal  which  supplicates 
Justice  not  to  remember  what  the  repentant 
one  has  disavowed, — behold  a  necessary  ex 
pression  of  adoration  for  every  man  who 
appears  before  the  thrice-holy  God,  for  all 
are  by  nature  sinners,  and  he  who  says  that 
he  is  not,  is,  at  St.  John  declares,  a  liar. 
This  humble  confession  wins  for  us  the 
favor  of  the  God  of  truth,  who  "  willingly 
looks  upon  the  contrite  and  humble  heart, 
while  He  repulses  and  sees  only  from  afar 
the  proud."  This  confession  is,  also,  a  can 
ticle,  the  canticle  of  our  weakness,  our 
frailty,  our  misery,  to  the  glory  of  the  good 
ness,  the  longanimity,  the  patience,  and  the 
Mercy  of  our  Father:  "In  confessione 
jubilemus  ei!"  This  confession  must  be 
completed  by  tears,  those  of  the  eyes  or 
those  of  the  heart.  They  must  be  tears  of 
regret,  of  repentance,  of  true  sorrow,  the 
sorrow  of  filial  love,  whose  bitterness  is 
sweet,  because  it  is  demanded  as  an  expia 
tion,  and  whose  value  is  precious  before 
God,  because  tears  of  contrition  are  the 
blood  of  the  soul  immolated  to  God  as  a  sac 
rifice  for  sin:  {C Ploremus  ante  Dominum!" 
There  are  other  sources  of  tears.  They 


56       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  JcsuS. 

may  spring  from  compassion  for  the  suf 
ferings,  the  humiliations,  and  the  abandon 
ment  of  Jesus  in  His  Passion.  They  may 
be  shed  over  the  ingratitude,  contempt,  and 
injuries  of  which  He  is  the  victim  in  the 
Eucharist.  They  may  be  tears  of  charity 
and  zeal  over  the  unhappy  state  of  sinners 
to  obtain  their  conversion.  They  may  be 
tears  of  tender  pity  over  the  woes  of  the 
Church,  the  Spouse  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
our  Mother,  combated  by  the  furious  hatred 
of  her  enemies,  and  betrayed  by  her  own 
children.  They  may,  also,  be  tears  of  de 
sire,  drawn  forth  by  the  pressure  of  a  need 
keenly  felt,  of  succor  ardently  longed  for. 
Such  tears  intensify  prayer.  Lastly,  joy, 
too,  has  its  tears  to  express  its  fulness,  its 
liveliness,  its  gratitude.  Let  them  flow, 
then,  at  the  feet  of  the  Lord.  They  honor 
Him  as  a  sacrificial  libation,  for  they  are  an 
effusion  in  which  the  soul  itself  flows  out  be 
fore  its  Saviour,  and  nowhere  can  they  flow 
with  more  security  than  under  His  eye,  nor 
give  to  him  who  sheds  them  more  peace  and 
consolation :  "  Ploremus  ante  Dominum ! — 
Let  us  weep  before  the  Lord ! " 

"  Ho  die  si  voccm  ejus  audieritis,  nolite 
obdurare  corda  vestra — Today  if  you  shall 


Fourth  Day.  57 

hear  His  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts."  In 
these  words  we  have  the  law  of  adoration 
and  its  sanction.  The  Royal  Prophet,  who 
had  invited  the  Israelites  to  the  adoration 
of  the  Lord,  revealed  to  them  the  reasons 
for  it  and  dictated  various  formulas  for  it. 
He  now  gives  place  to  the  Lord  to  proclaim 
in  Person  the  obligation,  which  He  will 
sanction  by  threatening  the  most  terrible 
chastisement  against  the  refractory,  namely, 
the  refusal  to  admit  them  into  His  eternal 
repose. 

"  Today,  if  you  shall  hear  My  voice, 
harden  not  your  hearts  as  did  your  fathers 
in  the  desert,  where  they  dared  to  tempt  Me 
and  provoke  Me,  but  where  I  showed  them 
My  works,"  in  wonders  of  power  and  good 
ness.  "  For  the  forty  long  years  that  I  was 
with  this  people  to  conduct  and  protect  them, 
they  excited  My  anger  by  their  offences  and 
I  saw  that  they  always  erred  in  heart.  Their 
sons  have  not  desired  to  know  My  ways, 
therefore,  in  My  wrath  I  have  sworn  that 
they  shall  not  enter  into  my  rest :  Ut  juravi 
in  ira  mea:  si  introibunt  in  requiem  meam! " 

The  voice  of  the  Lord,  awful  and  solemn, 
had,  indeed,  resounded  on  Sinai,  in  the 
noise  of  thunder  and  the  terrors  of  light- 


58       The  Eucharistic  Hear  I  of  Jesus. 

ning,  and  had  uttered  as  the  first  command 
ment  of  the  Law :     "  The    Lord    thy    God 
shalt  thou  adore  and  Him  only  shalt  thou 
serve."   But  the  people,  following  their  car 
nal  instincts,  prostrated  before  the  altars  of 
the  false  gods  that  were  honored  among  the 
neighboring  nations.    On   another  occasion, 
they  made  a  golden  calf  out  of  the  trinkets 
of  all  the  women  of  Israel  and,  offering  it 
incense,  they  solemnly  adored  it.   The  wrath 
of  the  Lord  was  roused  against  these  evil 
doings,  but  the  prayer  of  Moses  appeased 
Him.     Then  this  too  indulgent  Father  of  a 
people  always  too  forgetful,  to  keep  them 
faithful,  multiplied  His  miraculous  benefits, 
among  them  the  manna  falling  every  morn 
ing  from  heaven  to  feed  them  and  the  water 
bursting  from  the  rock  at  the  touch  of  the 
rod  of  Moses  to  quench  their  thirst.     The 
obstinacy  and  ingratitude  of  the  people  ren 
dering  useless  the  continuance  of  His  good 
ness,  the  Lord  condemned  the  whole  guilty 
generation  to  die  in  the  desert  and,  conse 
quently,  never  to  enter  the  Promised  Land, 
the  land  of  rest  after  their  rude  wanderings 
of  forty  years.     This  land  was  an  image  of 
the  heavenly  country  in  which  God  admits 
His  elect  to  a  share  in  His  eternal  repose: 


Fourth  Day.  59 

"  Si   introibunt   in    requiem   ineaui! — They 
shall  not  enter  into  My  rest !  " 

REPARATION. 

This  is  the  literal  and  historical  sense  of 
the  close  of  this  Psalm.  Its  moral  sense  is, 
that  it  is  a  fundamental  obligation  of  the 
natural  law  to  adore  God  as  reason  shows 
Him.  The  first  duty  of  the  positive  law  is 
to  adore  God,  who  has  revealed  Himself  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures ;  and  the  Son  of  God, 
the  Restorer  of  the  Law,  proclaimed  it  anew 
in  the  Gospel  in  the  presence  of  Satan,  who 
had  dared  to  demand  adoration  from  Him: 
"  Vade,  Satana!  Scrip  trim  est  enim, 
Dominum  Deum  tuum  adorabis  et  illi  soli 
servies! — Begone,  Satan!  for  it  is  written, 
'  The  Lord  thy  God  thou  shalt  adore  and 
Him  only  shalt  thou  serve ! ' 

Jesus  came  to  seek  upon  earth  adorers  for 
God,  His  Father.  He  instructed  them  in  all 
that  can  here  below  be  known  of  His  mys 
teries,  in  order  that  their  adoration  might 
be  true,  and  He  sanctified  them  interiorly 
that  it  should  be  interior  and  spiritual.  He. 
immolated  Himself  in  sacrifice  on  the  Cross 
that  God  might  thus  receive  absolutely  per 
fect  adoration,  and  He  instituted  the  public 


60       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

and  essential  rite  of  adoration  in  the  Sacri 
fice  of  His  Flesh  and  Blood  perpetually  re 
newed.  He  dictated  the  formula  of  prayer 
which  the  Father  always  hears.  He  set 
the  example  of  divine  praise,  whether  by 
publicly  blessing  His  Father,  or  by  reciting 
the  Psalms,  which  received  new  consecra 
tion  in  thus  passing  the  lips  of  the  Son  of 
God.  Spending  whole  nights  in  the  adora 
tion  of  God,  He  taught  us  to  prolong  in  the 
watch  of  interrupted  repose,  the  sacred 
praises,  the  contemplation  of  the  divine 
mysteries,  and  unwearying  supplication. 

Claiming  for  His  Father  divine  honors, 
He  demands  them  for  Himself,  also,  declar 
ing  that  He  and  the  Father  are  one,  and  that 
whoever  sees  Him  sees  the  Father  likewise. 
The  living  Throne  of  God,  who  dwells  in 
Him  personally.  He  has  remained  on  earth 
in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  prescribing 
to  His  Apostles  and  to  all  priests,  their  suc 
cessors,  to  adore  Him  by  offering  "  in 
memory  of  Him,"  that  is,  to  Himself  and 
His  honor,  the  Eucharistic  Sacrifice  offered 
by  Himself  to  the  Divine  Father.  He  has 
also  ordained  to  the  Faithful  of  all  ages  to 
adore  Him  by  eating  His  Flesh,  which  is  to 
believe  in  His  Presence  here  below  and  to 


Fourth  Day.  61 

profess  their   desire   of   living   on   It,   food 
being  the  principle  of  life. 

Such  is  the  promulgation  and  the  grand 
plan  of  the  law  of  adoration  by  Christ,  the 
Son  of  God.  Who  does  not  understand  that 
it  obliges  in  a  supreme  degree,  and  that  who 
ever  rejects  it  deserves  to  be  forever  ex 
cluded  from  the  eternal  peace  promised  by 
Jesus  to  those  that  believe  in  Him!  "Si 
Introibunt  in  requiem  meam." 

The  Church,  heiress  of  the  legislative 
power  of  Jesus  Christ  and  ordered  by  Him 
to  reduce  to  positive  precepts  the  institutions 
founded  by  His  word  and  example,  has  or 
dained  that  the  offering  of  the  Sacrifice  of 
the  Mass  shall  be  obligatory  on  certain  days, 
and  the  participation  of  the  Faithful  in  it 
by  their  personal  presence  also  obligatory. 
She  has,  too,  made  it  a  law  that  sacramental 
participation  in  the  Flesh  of  Christ,  at  least 
once  a  year,  shall  be  obligatory.  To  with 
draw  one's  self  from  either  of  these  precepts 
of  adoration,  is  to  resist  Jesus  Christ  and 
to  exclude  one's  self  from  His  rest:  "Si 
introibunt  in  requiem  meam!" 

Providing  for  exterior  adoration  which 
His  personal  Presence  calls  for.  Holy 
Church  has  consecrated  to  Him  abodes 


62        The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

which  she  desires  should  be  as  worthy  as 
possible  of  His  Majesty.  She  surrounds 
them  with  guarantees  which  secure  their 
being  exclusively  devoted  to  His  worship. 
She  organizes  in  them  ceremonies  of  re 
ligion  and  solemn  pomp  to  honor  Him  and 
preserve  for  Him  the  fidelity  of  men,  who 
have  need  of  such  means  to  rouse  and  ex 
press  their  faith.  To  support  these  sacred 
dwelling-places  and  the  worship  rendered 
in  them  to  the  Christ-God,  she  authorizes 
and  encourages  gifts  and  foundations  which 
form  the  personal  treasure  of  the  Eucha 
ristic  King  become  poor  for  us.  To  lay  a 
hand  on  these  sacred  abodes,  to  seize  their 
treasures,  to  thwart  this  worship,  are  so 
many  crimes  against  the  law  of  adoration 
due  to  God  and  His  Christ,  which  rouse 
their  wrath  and  malediction:  "Si  introi- 
bunt  in  requiem-  meaml" 

PETITION. 

Christ  having  snatched  His  Apostles  from 
the  servitude  of  the  world  in  order  to  attach 
them  to  His  service  by  prayer  and  the  apos- 
tolate,  the  Church  has  imposed  upon  priests 
in  their  freely  chosen  vocation  a  certain 
amount  of  daily  prayer  and  a  recitation  of 


Fourth  Day.  63 

the  divine  praise,  from  which  they  may  not 
exempt  themselves  without  violating  a 
sacred  obligation.  Then  follows  separation 
from  their  Divine  Master  for  eternity :  "  Si 
introibunt  requiem  meant!3 

And  all  they  who,  by  the  religious  vows 
or  by  private  promises,  have  engaged  to  pav 
to  God  a  tribute  of  prayer,  of  various  forms 
or  measure,— all  henceforth,  by  a  new  title 
and    in    proportion    to    their    engagements, 
come    under   the   grand   law    of    adoration. 
They  cannot  be  voluntarily  unfaithful  to  it 
without  incurring   the   displeasure   of   God 
and,  perhaps,  His  anger.     If  they  do  nor 
always  expose  themselves  to  the  chastise 
ment  of  irrevocable  privation  of  the  divine 
rest,  they  certainly  defer  the  possession  of 
it.     In  the  fiery  prison,  where  desires  and 
regrets  are  sharper  than  the  bite  of  the  most 
penetrating  flames,  they  will  discharge  the 
debt  of  negligence  to   fulfil  their  duty  of 
prayer :     "  Si  introibunt  in  requiem  meant  I  " 
We  implore  you,  then,  in  the  name  of  the 
sovereign  will  of  God,  in  the  name  of  the 
divine  institution  of  Jesus,  in  the  name  of 
His  Presence  here  below  and  the  desires  of 
His  Heart,  as  well  as  in  view  of  the  most 
sacred  interests  of  your  soul ;  in  the  name  of 


64       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

your  obligation  to  fulfil,  of  your  needs  to 
satisfy,  of  consolation  to  find,  of  peace  to 
experience,  and  of  even  the  joy  that  you 
shall  taste,  priests,  religious  men  and 
women,  priest-adorers,  and  you,  also,  ag 
gregates  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  all  — 
every  time  that  you  hear  the  voice  of  God, 
under  the  sound  of  the  bell  that  calls  you,' 
or  under  the  form  of  the  hand  marking  on 
the  dial  the  hour  assigned  you,  harden  not 
your  hearts:  "  Hodic  si  vocem  Domini 
andieritis,  nolite,  obdurarc  cor  da  vestra! 
Today  if  you  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the 
Lord,  harden  not  your  hearts !  " 

May  sensuality  and  the  love  of  our  own 
ease,  may  sloth  and  negligence  oppress  not 
our  hearts  to  enervate  and  hinder  us  from 
promptly  responding,  without  hesitation, 
without  delay,  to  the  duty  of  praise  or  ador 
ation  !  May  the  dissipation  of  worldly  con 
versations,  or  the  too  eager  pursuit  of  what 
pleases  render  not  our  hearts  so  inconstant 
as  to  forget  the  homage  promised  to  God 
and  the  satisfaction  that  He  expects  from  it: 
"  Hodie  si  vocem  Domini  andieritis,  nolite 
obdurare  cor  da  vestra !  " 

It  is  the  Creator  who  calls  us  to  life.     It 
is  the  Saviour  who  calls  us  to  grace.     It  is 


Pourth  Day.  3o 

the  Supreme  Remunerator  who  will  one  day 
call  us  to  glory.  It  is  He  Himself  who  in 
vites  us  today  to  adore  and  praise  Him  in 
the  Sacrament  of  His  beneficent  Presence. 
Let  us  not  do  Him  the  injury,  the  wrong  of 
remaining  deaf  to  His  voice,  which  makes 
known  the  tender  love  of  His  Heart: 
"  Hodie  si  vocem  Domini  audieritis,  nolite 
obdurare  corda  vestra!" 

Ask  Our  Lord  to  increase  your  love  for 
the  Blessed  Sacrament. 

May  the  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus  be 
blessed ! 

(50  days'  Indulgence.) 


ffiftb  Dag. 

THE   HEART  OF  THE  INFANT  GOD. 

THE  state  of  the  Incarnate  Word  in  His 
infancy  offers  to  us  an  important  study,  be 
cause  it  presents  the  first  manifestation  of 
the  Man-God  on  this  earth.  It  is  sweet  to 
contemplate,  and  it  shows  Him  to  us  at  the 
first  dawn  of  life,  which  is  always  clothed 
with  charms.  The  Heart  of  Christ,  morally 
and  physically,  animates  this  phase  of  His 
life.  To  study  Its  state,  Its  functions,  Its 
sentiments  during  this  radiant  springtime, 
which,  however,  is  not  undisturbed  by 
storms,  is  the  subject  of  this  adoration.  In 
it  we  shall  set  forth  our  duty  to  the  Host 
of  Christmas,  in  which  the  Heart  that  began 
to  love  and  to  redeem  us  at  Bethlehem,  con 
tinues  Its  love  for  us  and  confers  upon  us 
the  fruits  of  Its  first  annihilations,  Its  first 
benefits,  Its  first  sorrows  and  prayers. 

Blessed  Margaret  Mary  composed  a  can 
ticle  very  simple  in  form,  but  vigorous  in 
sense,  full  of  sweet  and  tender  love  for  the 
Infant  of  Bethlehem.  We  shall  give  it  here 
in  separate  stanzas  suited  to  the  different 
66 


Fifth  Day.  C7 

parts  of  this  adoration,  in  order  to  present 
our  homage  in  union  with  this  most  perfect 
and  pleasing  adorer  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

My  turn  near  Him  I've  taken, 
Sweet  Babe,  so  oft  forsaken; 
May  He  my  senses  waken, 

To  hear  His  voice  divine! 
My  love  shall  here  be  plighted, 
My  heart  to  His  united, 
And  from  It  names  be  lighted, 

To   burn  the  dross  from  mine. 

ADORATION. 

"  This  day  is  born  to  you  a  Saviour,  who 
is  Christ,  the  Lord,  in  the  city  of  David. 
And  this  shall  be  a  sign  unto  you.  You 
shall  find  the  infant  wrapped  in  swaddling- 
clothes  and  laid  in  a  manger."  In  these 
words  did  the  angel  announce  to  the  shep 
herds  on  the  mountain  the  great  news  of 
the  birth  of  the  Son  of  God  become  man. 

Come,  let  us  go  to  Bethlehem,  to  the 
House  of  Bread,  the  Eucharistic  Tabernacle. 
Let  us  by  faith  raise  the  linens  of  the 
Sacred  Species  that  cover  the  Infant  God. 
Let  us  enter  into  His  Heart,  whose  palpita 
tions  cause  His  breast  to  heave  and  send  to 


OS       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

His  gracious  countenance  the  brilliant  hues 
of  His  life-blood,  as  Mary  lays  Him  in  the 
crib. 

It  is  the  Heart  of  a  victim,  for  it  is  the 
Heart  of  Him  who,  St.  Paul  says :  "  Emp 
tied  Himself,  becoming  obedient  unto  death, 
even  to  the  death  of  the  cross — Exinanivit 
semetipsum,  formam  servi  accipiens,  et 
habltu  inventus  ut  homo  "(I).  The  weak 
ness  of  life  just  begun,  its  feebleness,  de 
pendence,  poverty,  silence,  or  its  inarticu 
late  wailing,  its  uncertain  infantine  gestures 
— all  betoken  life  in  its  greatest  impotence, 
existence  emerging  from  the  confines  of 
nothingness:  Exinanivit  semctipsum! 

But  It  is  at  the  same  time  the  Heart  of  a 
perfect  man,  of  the  most  perfect  of  all  men, 
of  the  Head  of  humanity  from  all  time ;  for 
this  Heart  is,  even  under  Its  appearance  of 
feebleness  and  in  Its  bonds  of  impotence,  in 
full  possession  of  intellectual  and  moral  life, 
of  supernatural  and  divine  life  in  all  their 
plenitude  of  intensity  and  interior  action. 
The  Beatific  Vision  fills  It  with  light,  love, 
holiness,  power,  and  joy;  and  if  It  com 
presses  in  unfathomable  depths  the  actual 


(1)     Philip,  ii,  7. 


Fifth  Day.  69 

joy  of  Its  infinite  gifts,  It  preserves  the  in 
contestable  possession  of  them,  It  employs 
and  utilizes  their  dominion.  As  It  is,  by 
virtue  of  the  exquisite  communications  of 
the  Divinity,  the  Head  of  all  mankind,  It 
rules  and  sanctifies  them,  and  offers  to 
God  in  their  name  the  homage  of  a  religion 
absolutely  perfect  and  worthy  of  Him. 
Priest  from  the  moment  of  the  Incarnation, 
and  the  only  Priest  for  eternity,  It  exercises 
Its  sublime  and  necessary  function  for  the 
Father's  glory  and  the  profit  of  the  world: 
"Ad  P 'ilium  autem:  Dilexisti  justitiam  et 
odisti  iniquitatem:  propterca  unxit  te  Dens, 
Deus  tuus,  oleo  exultatloms  prae  participi- 
bus  tuis — But  to  the  Son :  Thou  hast  loved 
justice,  and  hated  iniquity:  therefore,  God, 
Thy  God,  hath  anointed  thee  with  the  oil  of 
gladness  above  Thy  fellows  "(1). 

But  still  more,  it  is  the  Heart  of  the  only 
Son  of  God !  Although  formed  of  the  sub 
stance  of  a  woman  and  nourished  with  her 
milk,  the  Father  recognizes  in  this  Infant 
the  Son  who  lives  in  Him  from  all  eternity. 
He  ceases  not  to  say  to  Him  in  the  annihila 
tions  of  the  Crib,  as  He  said  to  Him  in  the 


(1)  Heb.  i,  9. 


70       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

splendor  of  His  glory:  " Filius  metis  es 
tu,  ego  hodie  gemii  tc! — Thou  art  my  Son, 
this  day  have  I  begotten  thee !  "  I  am,  I  shall 
ever  be  His  Father,  He  will  always  be  My 
Son :  "  Ego  ero  illi  in  Patrem,  et  ipse  erit 
mihi  in  Filium — I  will  be  to  Him  a  Father, 
and  He  shall  be  to  me  a  Son  "(1). 

Let  us  adore  all  these  states  of  the  Heart 
of  the  Infant  God.  Every  one  of  them  is 
true,  immense,  infinite.  Their  harmonious 
whole  makes  of  this  Sacred  Heart  the  ador 
able  masterpiece  of  the  wisdom,  the  power, 
and  the  love  of  God  for  us. 

Eternal  glory  leaving, 

For  our  poor  hearts  retrieving, 

And  triumph  there  achieving, 

He  makes  in  them  His  throne. 
To  earth  He  comes  a  stranger, 
A  Babe,  His  crib  a  manger, 
To  rescue  us  from  danger, 

To  claim  us  for  His  own. 

THANKSGIVING. 

Because  It  is  personally  united  to  the 
Eternal  Word,  of  whom  It  is  the  true  Heart, 
which  union  sanctifies  It  with  the  most  per- 


(1)  Ibid,  i,  5. 


Fifth  Day.  71 

feet  holiness,  which  is  that  of  glory;  be 
cause  It  is  on  that  account  the  abode  of 
predilection  of  the  Most  Holy  Trinity,  it 
cannot  be  but  that  the  Heart  of  the  Infant- 
God  should  be  beatified  in  Its  substance, 
clothed  with  definitive  glory,  filled  with  all 
the  joys  of  the  Vision,  both  for  Itself  and 
for  all  the  members  of  which  It  is  the  super 
natural  Motor  and  the  Furnace  of  life.  But 
while  for  Himself  miraculously  suspending 
the  sentiment  of  all  these  joys,  in  order  to 
give  Himself  up  wholly  to  suffering ;  think 
ing  of  us,  and  knowing  that  we  could  not 
possibly  live  without  joy  nor  persevere  in 
our  aim  at  eternal  happiness  without  some 
foretaste  of  it,  He  wills  that  His  Heart 
should  be  a  source  of  delight  pouring  into 
ours  an  abundant  and  inexhaustible  stream : 
"  Haurietis  aquas  in  gaudio  de  fontibus  Sal- 
vat  oris — You  shall  draw  waters  with  joy  out 
of  the  Saviour's  fountains  "  (1). 

The  angel  announced  it  to  the  shepherds 
as  the  great  joy  come  down  from  heaven: 
"  Evangelizo  vobis  gaudium  magnum — I 
bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy  "(2). 


(1)  Isaias  xii,  3. 

(2)  Luke  ii,  10. 


72       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Great  joy  from  His  glance  which  rests  upon 
them  with  recognition  and  satisfaction,  from 
His  mouth  which  smiles  upon  them,  from 
His  arms  which  twine  around  their 
neck,  from  His  lips  which  tenderly  kiss 
them,  from  His  Heart  which  beats  against 
theirs  when  He  reposes  on  their  bosom. 
Such  are  the  effusions  of  joy  that  inundate 
Mary  and  Joseph.  He  is  so  truly  the 
image  and  the  sweetness  of  God  that  who 
ever  beholds  Him,  whether  in  His  Crib  or 
in  the  Temple,  as  did  Anna  the  prophetess, 
and  the  High-Priest  Simeon,  feels  his  soul 
cheered  and  dilated ;  he  is  ravished,  he 
exults  with  joy:  "  Benignitas  apparuit 
Salvatoris  nostri  Dei — When  the  goodness 
and  kindness  of  God  our  Saviour  ap 
peared  "(1). 

Ah !  it  is  because  He  is  the  personal  Love 
of  God,  incarnated  by  pure  love,  in  order  to 
perform  the  work  of  love.  Love  presses 
Him  and  gushes  from  His  Heart  under 
every  form.  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world 
as  to  give  His  only-begotten  Son — Sic  Deus 
dilexit  mundum  ut  Filium  suwn  unigenitum 


(1)  Tit.  Hi,   iv. 


Fifth  Day.  73 

daret"(l).  And  this  will  of  the  Father's 
love  hurries  away  His  own,  which  yields  it 
self  up  to  it  without  reserve.  Now,  "  The 
Father  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to 
judge  the  world,  but  that  the  world  may  be 
saved  by  Him — Non  cnim  misil  Deus  F  ilium 
suum  ut  judicet  mundum,  scd  ut  mundis 
salvus  fiat  per  ipsum"(2).  Let  us,  then, 
give  thanks  to  God  for  the  unspeakable  gift 
of  this  Child  who  is  our  Saviour,  who  lies 
before  us  with  all  the  graces  of  salvation, 
and  who  gives  Himself  to  us  for  our  ever 
lasting  gain :  "  Gratias  Deo  super  inenar- 
rabili  dono  ejus! — Thanks  be  to  God  for 
His  unspeakable  gift  "(3). 

What  joy,  what  peace  and  pleasure! 
What  bliss  beyond  all  measure! 
I  find  in  Him,  my  Treasure, 

The  Bridegroom  of  my  soul! 
My  Portion!  naught  shall  ever 
My  heart's  affections  sever 
From  Him — And  sin? — Ah,  never 

Shall  it  my  will  control! 

(1)  John   iii,   16. 

(2)  Ibid. 

(3)  II.    Cor.    ix,    15. 


?4       The  EucharisHc  Heart  of  Jesus. 

REPARATION. 

The  wintry  blast  of  this  December  night, 
which  chills  His  members  in  spite  of  the 
swaddling-bands  in  which  His  Mother  so 
carefully  wraps  Him,  and  the  warm  breath 
of  the  ox  and  the  ass,  more  compassionate 
than  the  inhabitants  of  Bethlehem;  the 
poverty  of  this  abandoned  stable  to  which 
the  indifference  of  His  fellow-citizens  has 
relegated  Him ;  the  exile  in  a  hostile  coun 
try  to  which  He  will  soon  have  to  submit; 
the  tears  that  fall  from  His  innocent  eyes  at 
sight  of  the  painful  visions  that  rise  up  in 
the  distance ;  the  horrible  massacre  of  the 
children  of  Bethlehem  and  its  neighborhood, 
which  rilled  their  mothers  with  inconsolable 
sorrow — all  this  proclaims  her  Child  the 
victim  announced  to  Mary  by  the  angel  "  to 
save  the  world  from  its  sins." 

Although  He  had  to  wait  thirty-three 
years  before  being  immolated,  before  His 
sacrifice  was  exteriorly  consummated,  yet 
from  His  very  birth  the  Infant-God  was 
slain  and  sacrificed  in  His  Heart.  The  de 
cree  of  Divine  Justice  was  that  the  salva 
tion  of  guilty  man,  powerless  to  redeem 
himself,  should  be  at  the  price  of  the  death 


Fifth  Day.    •  75 

of  an  innocent  man.  When  the  will  of  God 
rejected  all  other  sacrifices,  the  Word  of 
fered  Himself,  and  He  planted  in  the  midst 
of  His  Heart  this  decree  more  penetrating 
than  all  the  swords  of  immolation :  "  Et 
legem  tuam  in  incdio  Cordis  mei — And  Thy 
law  is  in  the  midst  of  My  Heart !  "  He  de 
sires  only  this  will  of  His  Father,  and  it  is 
to  accomplish  it  that  He  has  become  incar 
nate  :  "  Eccc  venio  ut  faciam  iuain  volun- 
tatem — Behold,  I  come  that  I  should  do  Thy 
will !  "  However  terrible  and  bloody  it  may 
be,  Jesus  already  accomplishes  it  by  giving 
Himself  up  to  it  without  a  word  of  contra 
diction.  "  I  will  not  restrain  my  lips :  O 
Lord,  Thou  knowest  it!"(l) 

But  in  this  fearful  will  to  which,  lying 
powerless  in  His  Crib,  He  submits,  there  are 
all  the  unrecognized  rights  of  God,  of  His 
goodness,  His  holiness,  and  His  justice. 
There  are,  consequently,  all  the  wrath, 
all  the  vengeance  of  God.  There  are  all 
the  sins,  all  the  baseness  of  man, 
all  the  torments,  the  ignominy,  the 
abandonment  of  the  Passion.  There  are 
all  the  sorrows  of  His  well-beloved  Mother 


(1)      Ps.   xxxix,  9. 


76       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

and,  lastly,  for  the  damned  the  utter  uscr- 
lessness  of  His  immense  sufferings.  Thus 
does  this  Child  begin  to  experience  in  His 
Heart,  even  in  the  Crib,  the  frightful  agony 
under  the  crushing  weight  of  which  He 
sweat  blood  in  the  Garden. 

Yes,  from  this  moment,  although  repress 
ing  the  outward  manifestation  of  it,  "  He 
began  to  grow  sorrowful  and  to  be  sad — 
Cccpit  pavere  et  tczdere,  contristare  et 
mcestus  csse"  The  grotto  of  Bethlehem  is 
as  inhospitable  to  Him  as  that  of  Geth- 
semani ;  the  Crib  in  which  He  is  lying  in  His 
helplessness  as  hard  as  the  wood  of  the 
Cross  or  the  nails  that  fastened  Him  to  it. 
From  the  first  moment  of  His  life  on  earth, 
He  felt  in  His  heart  only  sorrow  and  oppro 
brium  :  "  Improperium  exspectavit  Cor 
meum  et  miseriam! — My  Heart  hath  ex 
pected  reproach  and  misery !"(!) 

It  is  particularly  hard  to  see  a  child  suf 
fer.  Its  innocence  and  infantine  charms 
call  for  joy  and  happiness  without  a  care. 
Shall  we  not,  then,  pity  the  Infant-God 
who,  later  on,  in  the  Sacrament,  in  which 
He  continues  His  Passion  as  He  anticipated 

(1)   Ps.  Ixviii,  27. 


Fifth  Day.  77 

it  at  Bethlehem,  showed  to  Blessed  Mar 
garet  Mary  "  His  Heart  surrounded  by  a 
crown  of  thorns,  a  gaping  wound  in  the 
centre,  and  surmounted  by  a  Cross.  He  re 
vealed  to  her  that,  from  the  first  moment  of 
His  Incarnation,  all  His  torments  had  been 
present  before  Him,  and  it  was  from  that 
moment  that  the  Cross  had  been,  as  it  were, 
planted  in  His  Heart.  He  told  her  that  He 
accepted  at  that  moment  all  the  sorrows, 
all  the  humiliations  that  He  was  to  suffer  in 
His  mortal  life,  and  even  the  outrages  to 
which  His  love  for  man  would  expose  Him 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  till  the  end  of  the 
world." 

He  sobs  e'en  in  His  sleeping, 
Dear  Babe,  our  coldness  weeping; 
His  mother  watch  is  keeping, 

Nor  can  her  grief  repress. 
Some  portion  of  her  sorrow, 
Each  day  and  each  tomorrow, 
From  Mary  let  us  borrow, 

To  comfort  His  distress. 

How  could  I  live  without  Him? 
For  heaven  is  all  about  Him. 
Oh,  never  shall  I  doubt  Him, 

Though  life  be  dark  and  cold! 
7 


78       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

But  whereso'er  He  leadeth, 
Where  famished  souls  He  feedeth, 
Where  on  the  Cross  He  bleedeth, 
My  station  near  Him  hold. 

PETITION. 

It  seems,  indeed,  that  two  graces,  above 
all,  are  to  be  asked  from  the  Heart  of  the 
Infant-God,  because  they  flow  directly  from 
His  state  of  infancy.  They  are  the  precious 
grain  that  He  produces  from  the  straw  on 
which  He  lies:  first,  personal  sanctification, 
the  grace,  the  spirit,  the  virtues  of  spiritual 
infancy;  and  secondly,  the  apostolate, 
zealous  and  devoted  love  for  the  salvation  of 
little  children. 

In  imitation  of  Eternal  Wisdom,  become 
silent  and  docile  in  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem, 
of  Almighty  Power  and  Sovereignty  be 
come  submissive  and  dependent,  of  Su 
preme  Majesty  voluntarily  abased  in  ex 
treme  humility  and  the  poorest  of  little  ones, 
the  grace  of  spiritual  infancy  is  found  in 
simplicity,  humility,  docility,  dependence, 
obedience,  holy  abandonment  of  mind,  heart, 
and  will.  These  were  the  virtues  that  filled 
the  Heart  of  the  Infant-God.  Where  is 
He  more  "  meek  and  humble  of  heart  "  than 


Fifth  Day.  79 

in  the  Crib  or  in  His  exile  in  Egypt?  in  the 
arms  of  His  Mother?  or  in  the  labors  to 
which  St.  Joseph  introduced  Him?  These 
virtues  and  this  spirit  are  so  important  that 
for  those  who  do  not  clothe  themselves  with 
them  in  order  to  become  like  little  children, 
it  is  impossible  to  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  The  Infant-God  is  the  ideal  child. 
Let  us,  then,  keep  His  Heart  constantly  be 
fore  our  eyes,  and  supplicate  Him  to  render 
ours  like  unto  His. 

Let  us  carry  away  from  the  contempla 
tion  of  this  Child  of  love  the  apostolic  grace 
of  devotedness  and  zeal  for  the  salvation  of 
little  ones.  He  is  full  of  love  for  them, 
since  He  embraces  their  state  in  order  to 
render  Himself  supernaturally,  divinely, 
lovable  to  all.  He  consecrates  their  weak 
ness  and  innocence  by  His  own,  their  pov 
erty  by  His  own,  their  dangers  by  those  He 
Himself  runs,  their  sufferings  by  His  tears. 
It  is  in  this  state  of  infancy,  become  entirely 
like  unto  them,  that  He  begins  to  attract 
them,  that  He  wishes  them  to  be  allowed 
to  come  unto  Him.  Far  from  preventing 
them,  their  elders  should  help  them  to  do  so, 
should  lead  them  to  Him. 

Satan  and  the  world,  whose  murderous 


80       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

hatred  willed  the  death  of  Jesus,  and  who, 
in  the  person  of  Herod  and  his  cruel  minis 
ters,  procured  the  destruction  of  the  chil 
dren  of  Bethlehem,  still  continue  the  bloody 
persecution  of  these  innocent  souls,  and, 
above  all,  by  godless  schools.  These  chil 
dren,  adopted  by  God  in  Baptism,  baptized 
in  the  Blood  of  Jesus,  sanctified  by  the 
presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  pupils  of  the 
Church,  and  heirs  of  heaven,  are  taught  by 
a  godless  education  to  ignore  their  Saviour. 
It  teaches  them  to  disown  Christ,  to  despise 
the  Church,  and  to  have  no  care  for  their 
eternity.  Godless  education  commits  the 
great  crime,  the  irremissible  crime  of 
"  scandalizing  the  little  ones."  It  does  this 
by  destroying  the  first  germs  of  faith  which 
they  inherit  from  the  crib,  or  even  fore 
stalling  their  reception  by  the  apostasy  into 
which  the  enemies  of  salvation  entice  the 
miserable  parents.  Woe  to  the  world  for 
all  these  scandals,  but,  above  all,  for  scan 
dalizing  these  little  ones  !  "  Qui  scandaliza- 
verit  unum  de  pusillis  istis,  expedit  ei  ut  sus- 
pendatur  mold  asinaria  in  collo  ejus  et  de- 
mergatur  in  profundum  maris! — He  that 
shall  scandalize  one  of  these  little  ones  that 
believe  in  Me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a 


Fifth  Day.  81 

mill-stone  should  be  hanged  about  his  neck, 
and  that  he  should  be  drowned  in  the  depth 
of  the  sea!"(l) 

For  the  love  of  the  adorable  Eldest 
Brother  of  all  little  children,  let  us  make  in 
His  Heart  the  resolution  of  devoting  our 
selves  to  their  salvation.  Let  us  do  this, 
first,  by  furthering  the  Eucharistic  educa 
tion  of  even  the  tiniest,  that  is,  by  forming 
them  from  earliest  infancy  to  piety  toward 
the  Blessed  Sacrament,  by  speaking  to  them 
of  It,  by  taking  them  before  the  Tabernacle, 
by  teaching  them  to  show  It  great  respect, 
and  above  all,  to  pray  to  It  with  great  con 
fidence.  Later  on,  let  us  do  all  in  our  power, 
both  in  the  family  circle  and  in  catechetical 
instructions,  to  contribute  to  a  good  prepa 
ration  for  First  Communion.  Let  us  spread 
the  practice  of  frequent,  even  daily  Com 
munion  for  all  children  after  their  First 
Communion.  Lastly,  let  us  devote  our 
selves  to  the  propagation  of  Christian 
schools  making  pecuniary  sacrifices  for  their 
foundation  and  support. 

On  Christmas  day,  1685,  Our  Lord  ap 
peared  to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary.  He 

(1)     Matt,  xviii,  6. 


82       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

showed  her  the  pupils  of  the  Visitation  and 
her  own  young  novices,  grouped  around  her 
like  little  lambs,  and  as  once  to  St.  Peter,  He 
said  to  her :  "  Feed  My  Lambs !  "—The 
Sacred  Heart  repeats  to  each  of  us: 
"  Lovest  thou  Me  ? — Feed  my  lambs !  " 

To  please  the  Heart  of  the  Infant-God, 
let  us  love  and  serve  His  little  ones ! 

He  begs  us  with  Him  suffer, 
For  sinner  and  for  scoffer, 
With  mind  and  heart  to  offer 

Some  generous  sacrifice; 
That  with  contrition  rending 
Our  own  soul  for  offending, 
With  justice,  mercy  blending, 

May  lead  to  Paradise. 

Say  the  prayer  to  Our  Lady  of  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament  for  the  increase  of  daily 
Communion  among  the  Faithful. 

Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus,  have  pity  on 
us! 

(300  days'  Indulgence.} 


Stitb 


HEART   OF    JESUS,    SON    OF    MARY. 

SUBJECT.  —  We  are  about  to  adore  the 
Heart  of  Jesus  in  Its  relations  with  the 
Most  Blessed  Virgin.  These  relations  are, 
first,  those  of  the  most  perfect  of  sons  with 
the  most  perfect  of  mothers  ;  secondly, 
those  founded  on  nature  or  filial  love  ; 
thirdly,  those  springing  from  services  or 
benefits  rendered;  fourthly,  those  arising 
from  sufferings  borne  together  ;  and  fifthly, 
and  lastly,  those  dependent  upon  mutual  co 
operation  in  the  work  of  the  world's  salva 
tion.  They  are,  on  the  other  side,  first,  the 
relations  of  the  most  loving  of  mothers  with 
the  most  beloved  of  sons;  relations  of 
unparalleled  love,  expressed  by  the  most 
worthy  homage  of  adoration,  thanks 
giving,  compassion,  and  prayer,  offered 
without  faltering  by  the  Mother,  and 
which  filled  the  Heart  of  the  Son  with  satis 
faction  and  delight.  All  these  relations  are 
expressed  in  this  grand  invocation  of  the 
Litany  of  the  Sacrecl  Heart,  short  in  words, 

83 


81       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

but  in  meaning  infinite:  "Cor  Jesu,  Filii 
Virginis  Matris!— Heart  of  Jesus,  Son  of  a 
Virgin  Mother !  " 


ADORATION. 


"  Cor  Jesu,  Filii  Virginis  Matris,  miserere 
nobis!"  Let  us  adore  the  Heart  of  the 
little  Infant  beating  against  the  heart  of 
His  Mother,  while  she  presses  Him  with 
joy  in  her  tender  and  sheltering  arms.  This 
Infant  is  the  true,  the  own  Son  of  this 
Mother,  formed  of  her  blood  and  strength 
ened  by  her  substance,  born  of  her  womb 
and  nourished  by  her  milk.  After  the 
Divine  Sonship,  which  He  received  from 
His  Father  in  eternity,  nothing  is  truer, 
greater,  more  necessary  to  God  and  to  the 
world,  nor  dearer  to  Jesus  Himself  than  the 
human  Sonship  that  He  received  in  time 
from  His  Mother. 

Thence  spring  the  sacred  and  august  re 
lations  which  forever  bind  the  Heart  of  this 
unique  Son  to  this  unique  Mother.  First, 
they  are  the  bonds  of  nature:  the  bond  of 
origin,  which  attaches  the  child  to  the 
mother  as  to  the  cause  of  its  existence;  the 
bond  of  blood  which,  flowing  from  the 
heart  of  the  mother  into  that  of  the  child, 


Sixth  Day.  85 

creates  between  them  a  kind  of  identity; 
and  the  bond  of  life  preserved  and  in 
creased  by  the  nourishment  received  from 
the  maternal  bosom.  Secondly,  there  are 
the  moral  bonds  of  the  natural  law  which 
obliges  the  child  to  dependence  upon  and 
obedience  to  her  who  holds  from  the  Cre 
ator  the  care  of  directing  its  infancy ;  which 
obliges  it  by  gratitude  toward  her  who, 
having  given  it  life  by  exposing  her  own, 
surrounds  it  at  every  instant  by  her  devoted 
care  and  solicitude.  Lastly,  the  bonds  of 
choice,  of  affection,  of  love,  which  attach 
the  child  to  its  mother  by  the  qualities  and 
virtues  that  it  discovers  in  her,  by  their  life 
in  common,  their  mutual  joys  and  sorrows, 
in  which  their  hearts  are  dissolved  in  one 
same  affection,  which,  by  ennobling, 
strengthens  all  the  other  ties. 

The  Heart  of  the  Infant  God  so  much 
the  more  perfectly  embraced  all  these  sacred 
obligations  toward  His  Mother,  as  it  was  to 
Mary  alone,  the  unique  principle  of  His 
human  life,  that  He  owed  all  that  He  had 
received.  He  loved  those  bonds  so  much  the 
more  ardently  as  Mary  possessed  in  the 
highest  degree  all  the  qualities  of  mother 
hood,  and  fulfilled  its  duties  without  falter- 

8 


86       The  En  char istic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

ing.  It  was  with  all  the  strength,  all  the 
tenderness  and  delight  of  His  Heart  that 
He  loved  His  Mother,  gave  Himself  to  her, 
obeyed  and  served  her.  With  the  same  af 
fections  He  still  continues,  and  He  will  for 
ever  continue  to  serve  her  even  in  His 
glory,  looking  upon  Himself  as  forever 
bound  to  her  by  the  most  profound  filial 
piety. 

But  at  the  moment  that,  formed  of  the 
blood  of  His  Mother,  the  Heart  of  Jesus 
began  to  be  attached  to  her  by  this  power 
ful  love,  the  Heart  of  Mary,  undergoing  the 
natural  law  which  was  energized  in  her  by 
the  loving  force  of  the  Holy  Spirit  who  ef 
fected  her  divine  maternity,  turned  ardently 
to  the  living  Fruit  of  her  womb,  gave  her 
self  up  unreservedly  to  Him,  attached  her 
self  to  Him  forever,  and  proclaimed  that  she 
was  willing  to  become  His  Mother  only 
that  she  might  more  perfectly  be  His  ser 
vant:  "  Ecce  ancilla  Domini! — Behold  the 
handmaid  of  the  Lord !  "  From  that  mo 
ment  she  began  to  give  Him,  along  with  her 
maternal  care,  all  the  services  of  super 
natural  love,  of  religion,  of  adoration  in 
spirit  and  in  truth,  of  perfect  praise,  unre 
served  sacrifice,  and  perpetual  immolation. 


Sixth  Day.  37 

What  her  Well-Beloved  was  to  her,  she  was 
to  her  Well-Beloved.  They  were  insepa 
rably  united  in  the  same  love.  It  made  them 
live  one  in  the  other,  and  joined  them  in 
one  single  Heart,  the  Heart  of  Jesus  and 
Mary :  "  Dilectus  metis  mihif  et  ego  illi — 
My  beloved  to  me  and  I  to  Him." 

Let  us,  then,  adore  the  filial  piety  which 
ceased  not  to  dwell  in  the  Heart  of  Jesus 
for  His  Mother  by  appropriating  to  our 
selves  all  the  love,  all  the  devotedness  of 
Mary  for  Jesus.  This  divine  Mother  de 
sires  that  the  Heart  of  her  Son  should  be 
honored  and  loved.  She  declared  it 
authoritatively  in  one  of  the  revelations  of 
the  Sacred  Heart.  Blessed  Margaret  Mary 
says :  "  The  sweet  Heart  of  Jesus  having 
appeared  to  me  on  a  throne  of  flames,  Its 
Wound  radiating  beams  of  light  and  heat, 
the  Most  Blessed  Virgin,  who  was  standing 
beside  the  adorable  Heart,  invited  me  in 
motherly  words  to  approach.  '  Come,'  she 
said,  '  draw  near.  I  am  going  to  make  you 
the  depository  of  the  great  Treasure  which 
the  divine  Sun  of  Justice  formed  in  the  vir 
ginal  earth  of  my  heart,  where  It  was 
hidden  for  nine  months  before  being  mani 
fested  to  men.  Behold  this  Divine  Treas- 


88       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

ure  whose  tender  love  longs  to  enrich  you  by 
bestowing  Itself  upon  you !  ' 

"  Cor  Jesu,  Filii  Virginis  Matris,  miserere 
nobis!" 

THANKSGIVING. 

"  Cor  Jesu,  Filii  Virginis  Matris,  miserere 
nobis!"  The  generous  love  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  in  creating  Mary  immaculate  and  en 
riching  her  with  all  graces,  in  order  to 
sanctify  her  and  render  her  worthy  to  be 
come  His  Mother,  forms  a  new  bond  be 
tween  the  Sacred  Heart  and  her.  This 
unique  love  of  the  Incarnation  by  which  He 
gives  Himself  to  her  as  her  Son  is  for  her 
the  plenitude  of  grace.  Behold  the  infinite 
tenderness  of  His  love  for  Mary! 

This  Blessed  Mother,  having  given  to 
Him  human  life  that  He  might  consecrate  it 
to  the  service  of  His  Father,  the  Blood  with 
which  He  was  to  redeem  the  world,  the 
faithful  co-operation  of  prayer  and  devoted- 
ness  in  His  work  here  on  earth,  the  conso 
lation  of  her  sympathy  in  His  sufferings, 
and  her  heroic  participation  in  the  pains  of 
His  death,  a  new  source  of  love  was  opened 
in  His  Heart,  and  it  constantly  surged  and 
flowed  in  glad  waves  toward  the  Heart  of 


Sixth  Day.  89 

Mary.  It  was  the  love  of  gratitude,  that 
virtue  so  pleasing  to  Jesus.  He  rejoiced 
in  it,  gloried  in  it.  He  returned  to  Mary 
a  hundredfold  of  happiness,  glory,  power  in 
heaven  and  on  earth  for  all  that  He  had  re 
ceived  from  her.  Hence,  the  perpetual  ef 
fusion  of  His  most  magnificent  gifts,  bless 
ings,  thanksgivings,  and  praise:  "  Ave, 
Maria,  benedict  a  tu  in  mulieribus!"  Thou 
hast  opened  in  my  Heart  an  incurab1e 
wound  of  love,  O  My  well-beloved !  "  Vul- 
nerasti  cor  meum,  soror  mca  sponsa! — 
Thou  hast  wounded  My  Heart,  My  sister, 
My  spouse  I  "(I)  "  Come,  come  that  I  may 
crown  thee  in  a  triumph  eternally  renewed ! 
— Veni  coronaberis,  veni!" 

These  flames  of  her  Son's  love  enkindle 
in  the  Heart  of  Mary  a  sense  of  gratitude 
which  becomes  almost  a  torture,  for  if  she 
herself  has  given  anything,  it  was  of  the 
fruits  that  she  had  received,  and  what  she 
has  received  will  always  be  infinitely  more 
than  she  has  given.  She  fully  understands 
the  abundance,  the  price  of  the  divine  bene 
fits.  In  her  most  pure  gratitude  she  retains 
nothing  for  herself  and,  being  incapable  of 


(1)     Cant,   iv,   9. 


90       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

egoism,  her  soul  melts  into  thanksgiving. 
She  is  transformed  into  the  living  expres 
sion  of  praise,  and  she  eternally  chants  to 
the  Heart  of  her  Son  her  canticle  of  grati 
tude:  "Magnificat  anima  mea  Dominum, 
et  exultavit  spiritus  meus  in  Deo  salutari 
meo ! — My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and 
my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God,  my 
Saviour !  " 

It  is  only  by  uniting  our  thanksgivings 
to  those  of  Mary,  in  order  to  purify  them, 
to  enliven  them  with  love,  that  our  duties 
of  thanksgiving,  and  they  are  innumerable, 
infinite,  since  we  have  been  infinitely  loved, 
will  be  pleasing  to  Jesus.  There  is  only 
one  voice  that  charms  and  captivates  His 
Heart :  "  Sonet  vox  tua  in  auribus  meis, 
vox  eiiim  tna  dnlcis — Let  thy  voice  sound  in 
my  ears,  for  thy  voice  is  sweet  "(1).  There 
is  only  one  voice  that  He  still  desires  to 
hear,  and  that  is  the  voice  of  His  Mother: 
"  Qua  habitas  in  hortis,  amid  anscultant; 
fac  me  audire  vocem  tuam! — Thou  that 
dwellest  in  the  gardens,  the  friends  hearken. 
Make  me  hear  thy  voice!  "(2)  That 


(1)  Cant,   ii,   14. 

(2)  Cant,    viii,    13. 


Sixth  Day.  91 

voice  of  Mary,  did  we  know  how  to  make  1't 
sound  upon  our  lips,  will  open  to  us  the 
Heart  of  her  Son,  causing  inexhaustible  tor 
rents  of  grace  to  fall  upon  the  earth. 

"  Once,"  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"  my  Mother  made  me  see  the  Sacred  Heart 
of  Jesus  as  a  source  of  living  water,  whence 
it  flowed  gently  by  five  canals.  .  .  ." 
Again,  she  says,  "  This  Queen  of  goodness, 
speaking  to  the  daughters  of  the  Visitation., 
said :  '  Not  only  should  they  enrich  them 
selves  from  this  inexhaustible  Treasure,  but 
still  more  should  they  distribute  Its  precious 
coin  as  far  as  they  are  able.  Let  them  give 
largely.  Let  them  enrich  the  whole  world 
with  It,  fearing  not  that  It  will  ever  fail, 
for  the  more  they  will  draw  from  It,  the 
more  It  will  have  to  give ! ' 

REPARATION. 

"  Cor  Jem,  Filii  Virginis  Matris,  miserere 
nobis!"  Nothing  more  closely  unites  two 
beings  than  sorrow,  whether  one  endures  it 
for  the  love  and  service  of  the  other  or, 
struck  by  the  same  blow,  they  help  each 
other  to  bear  the  burden  together.  Their 
common  grief  is  a  millstone  that  grinds  both 
hearts,  their  tears  make  an  indestructible 


93       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

cement  of  the  dust,  and  the  wounds  that  are 
dug  into  their  hearts,  afford  a  retreat  into 
which   they   flee,   there   to   remain   forever 
strictly  united  to  each  other.     Thus  it  was 
with  the  common  martyrdom  of  Jesus  and 
Mary.     It  created  between  them  new  ties 
while   rendering  all   others   more   intimate. 
By  virtue  of  the  requirements  of  Divine 
Justice  which  demanded  this  supreme  ex 
piation,  this  Son,  who  would  have  wished  to 
shield  from  all  sorrow  His  faultless  Mother, 
by  her  very  innocence  exempt  from  the  law 
of  suffering,— this   Son  so  loving    and    so 
tender,    must   draw    His    Mother   into    the 
tempest  of  His  Passion  and  deliver  her  to 
its  fury  by  which  He  Himself  was  to  be 
bruised    and    broken.     She    suffered    only 
from    His    sufferings.     He   alone   was   her 
executioner  and  her  martyrdom.     He  con 
stituted  all  her  pain,  which  was  as  great, 
immense,    infinite   as    Himself!     Mary,    on 
her  side,  loved  Jesus  so  much  that,  in  spite 
of  the  martyrdom  which  she  was  to  endure, 
she  willed  to  follow  Him  in  order  to  share 
His  pains  and  opprobrium,  to  endure  in  her 
compassion    the   punishment    of    His    Pas 
sion,  to  mingle  her  tears  with  His  Blood 
and,  by  that  faithful  co-operation,  to  help 


Sixth  Day.  93 

Him,  to  support  Him,  to  relieve  and  in 
demnify  Him  as  much  as  in  her  lay. 

In  this  mutual  combat,  in  which  are 
united  so  much  love  and  so  much  sorrow, 
Jesus  attaches  Himself  to  Mary  by  the 
sweetest  ties  of  infinite  tenderness,  infinite 
pity,  infinite  compassion.  To  testify  to  her 
the  feelings  that  pass  all  expression,  He  al 
lows  His  Heart  to  be  opened  under  her 
eyes.  As  she  is  standing  nearer  the  Cross 
than  all  others,  she  receives  in  greater 
abundance  the  waves  of  Blood  and  grace 
that  issue  from  It.  She  was  the  first  to 
enter  by  her  longing  gaze,  by  her  sorrow 
and  love  into  that  retreat  to  which  Jesus  at 
tracted  her,  commanding  her  to  abide  there 
in  forever,  to  exercise  her  sublime  and  ma 
ternal  functions  of  consoler  of  her  only 
Son  and  of  reparatrix  for  all  her  other  chil 
dren. 

From  that  moment  Mary's  ministry  of 
reparation  near  the  Sacred  Heart  was 
crowned  with  success,  for  it  was  to  her  in 
tercession  that  the  Good  Thief  owed  his 
pardon ;  the  centurion,  the  soldiers,  and  the 
crowds  that  were  converted,  the  contrition 
and  faith  which  made  them  strike  their 


94       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

breast,  saying,  "  Indeed,  this  was  the  Son  of 
God!" 

Mary  continues  her  intercession  all 
through  the  ages,  as  we  learn  from  the  fol 
lowing  vision  of  Blessed  Margaret  Mary : 

"  One  day,  on  the  feast  of  the  Visitation, 
I  was  before  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament, 
asking  of  God  some  special  grace  for  our 
Institute.  But  I  found  the  Divine  Good 
ness  inflexible  to  my  prayer.  He  addressed 
to  me  the  words :  '  Say  no  more  to  Me 
about  it.  They  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  My 
Voice ;  they  are  destroying  the  foundation 
of  the  edifice  ! ' — But  the  Most  Blessed 
Virgin,  assuming  our  interests  with  her 
Divine  Son,  now  so  irritated,  prostrated  be 
fore  Him,  saying  to  Him  these  tender 
words:  'Exercise  upon  me  Thy  just 
wrath.  These  are  the  daughters  of  my 
heart.  I  shall  be  to  them  a  shield  to  receive 
the  blows  which  Thou  wilt  deal  out  to  them.' 
— Then  the  Divine  Saviour,  assuming  a 
sweet  and  gentle  expression,  said  to  her: 
'  My  Mother,  it  is  for  thee  to  distribute  My 
grace  as  seems  good  to  thee.  I  am  ready 
for  love  of  thee  to  endure  the  abuse  that 
they  make  of  it.  ...  If  their  interests 
are  dearer  to  thee  than  Mine,  thou  canst 


Sixth  Day.  95 

arrest  the  course  of  My  justice.  '  But  the 
Queen  of  goodness  and  of  love  more  than 
maternal,  replied :  '  I  ask  for  delay  only 
till  the  feast  of  the  Presentation.  Until  that 
time  I  shall  spare  neither  care  nor  trouble  to 
render  Thy  graces  victorious  and  to  frus 
trate  the  efforts  of  Satan,  by  snatching  from 
him  the  prey  that  he  looks  upon  as  already 
his  own  ' — Some  time  after,  the  Blessed 
Virgin  presented  herself  to  my  soul.  She 
appeared  quite  worn  out  with  fatigue.  She 
had  in  her  holy  hands  some  hearts  that  were 
covered  with  wounds.  '  See/  she  said, 
'  what  I  have  snatched  from  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  who  was  having  his  sport  with 
them.  But  what  most  afflicts  my  maternal 
heart  is  that  some  take  his  part  against  me. 
They  despise  the  help  that  I  offer  them/  ' 

It  is  for  us  to  render  fruitful  by  our 
prayer,  contrition,  and  penance,  united  to 
her  sorrow  and  tears,  Mary's  reparation  to 
the  Sacred  Heart  for  our  sins  and  those  of 
the  whole  world.  Let  us  confidently  present 
them  to  Jesus,  repeating  to  Him  without 
wearying :  "  Remember  with  all  Thy 
Heart,  O  Thou  best  of  sons,  the  agony  and 
the  groanings  of  Thy  Mother  and,  by  that 
remembrance,  have  pity  on  us:  In  toto 


96       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Corde  tuo  gemitus  matris  tuae  ne  oblivis- 
caris!"  (1) 

PETITION. 

"  Cor  Jesu,  Filii  Virginis  Matris,  miserere 
nobis!"  To  all  the  other  relations  that 
bind  the  Heart  of  Jesus  to  that  of  Mary,  we 
must  add  those  of  justice;  for  God  Himself 
has  laid  it  down  as  a  law  that  whoever  has 
faithfully  accomplished  here  below  what 
was  intrusted  to  him,  shall  receive  in 
heaven  as  a  recompense  jurisdiction  over 
great  things:  " Euge,  serve  bone,  quia 
super  paitca  fuisti  fidelis,  super  mult  a  te 
constituam — Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant;  because  thou  hast  been  faithful 
over  a  few  things,  I  will  place  thee  over 
many  things  "  (2). 

Now,  Mary  wisely,  faithfully,  and  suc 
cessfully  administered  all  the  graces  she 
had  received.  She  valiantly  co-operated  in 
the  grand  work  of  the  Incarnation  and  the 
Redemption.  She  was  a  Mother  as  coura 
geous  in  delivering  her  Son  for  the  world 
on  Calvary  as  she  was  faithful  in  giving 
Him  to  the  world  at  Bethlehem.  It  is  due 


(1)  Eccli.   vii,   29. 

(2)  Matt,   xxv,   21. 


Sixth  Day.  97 

to  her  that  Jesus  was  able  to  fulfil  the  will 
of  His  Father,  redeem  mankind,  and  re 
gain  for  Him  the  eternal  empire  which  He 
now  possesses  in  His  glory.  These  works 
were  infinite  and  worthy  of  infinite  reward. 

Jesus  must,  then,  recompense  His 
Mother  with  glory,  power,  and  royalty. 
Having  placed  her  at  His  right,  crowned 
Queen  of  heaven  and  earth,  His  Heart 
tastes  ineffable  satisfaction  in  putting  at  her 
disposal  all  the  treasures  of  Redemption, 
all  the  created  forces  of  the  world  of  nature, 
grace,  and  glory,  so  that  nothing  is  done 
without  her,  nothing  bestowed  but  througfi 
her,  nothing,  whether  of  expiation,  prayer 
or  praise,  accepted  but  by  her  mediation. 
Jesus  has  constituted  her  the  universal 
mediatrix  between  mankind  and  Himself, 
the  constant  co-operatrix  in  His  govern 
ment,  the  sovereign  dispensatrix  of  all  His 
treasures. 

f(  Deus  totius  boni  plenitudinem  posuit  in 
Maria:  ut  proinde  si  quid  spei  in  nobis  est, 
si  quid  gratia,  si  quid  salutis,  ab  ea  no- 
verimus  redundare  qua  ascendit  deliciis  af- 
fluens,  innixa  super  Dilectum  suum. — God 
has  placed  in  Mary's  hands  the  fulness  of 
all  good,  so  that  we  can  have  no  hope  of 


98       The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

grace  and  salvation,  but  through  her  who, 
taken  up  into  heaven  and  there  inundated 
with  the  delights  of  the  blessed,  rests  on  the 
Heart  of  her  well-beloved  Son"(l). 

It  is,  then,  our  duty  as  well  as  our  in 
terest  to  pray  by  the  name  of  Mary,  to  trust 
in  the  merits  of  Mary,  to  cover  ourselves 
with  the  sanctity  of  Mary,  to  bear  as  far 
as  in  us  lies  a  resemblance  to  Mary,  if  we 
would  touch  the  Heart  of  Jesus  and  become 
pleasing  to  Him.  She  is  the  Queen  and  the 
Sovereign  of  His  Heart,  because  she  is  His 
unique  love,  He  having  loved  her,  as  He  still 
loves  her,  more  than  all  other  creatures  to 
gether  of  whom  He  loves  not  one  but  on  ac 
count  of  His  Mother.  This  is  what  the 
glorious  title,  "  Our  Lady  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,"  proclaims.  With  this  title  the 
Church  has  crowned  her.  She,  like  a  mis 
tress,  disposes  of  that  Sacred  Heart  as  is 
pleasing  to  her.  She  inclines  It  to  what  she 
desires,  gives  It  to  whom  she  wills.  Jesus 
finds  exquisite  and  infinite  delight  in  being 
thus  delivered  into  the  hands  of  His 
Mother!  All  that  she  asks  of  Him,  her 
Son  owes  her,  since  she  it  was  who  fur- 


(1)   St.  Bernard,  Sermo  in  Nativitate  B.  M.  V. 


Sixth  Day.  99 

nished  Him  with  the  means  of  acquiring  it 
by  giving  Him  her  blood.  God  Himself  is 
her  debtor :  "  Euge,  euge,  qua  debitorem 
habes  F ilium  tuum,  qui  omnibus  mutuatur ; 
Deo  enim  universi  deb  emus,  tibi  autem 
etiam  ille  debitor  est !"  ( 1 ) 

Mary  one  day  said  to  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary :  "  I  wish  to  enrich  all  men  with  the 
precious  gold  which  has  become  under  the 
blows  of  the  Passion  inappreciable  currency, 
marked  with  the  coin  of  the  Divinity,  in 
order  that  they  may  be  able  to  pay  their 
debts  and  negotiate  the  great  affair  of  their 
eternal  salvation."  This  salvation  is  what 
she  operates  in  her  children.  They,  also, 
form  her  glorious  and  immortal  crown,  as 
the  confidante  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  that 
most  privileged  child  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
tells  us :  "  I  received,"  she  says,  "  great 
marks  of  the  protection  of  the  Blessed  Vir 
gin  on  the  day  of  her  triumphal  Assumption. 
She  showed  me  a  crown  which  she  had 
made  of  all  the  daughters  in  her  suite,  and 
she  gave  me  to  understand  that  she  wished 
to  appear  with  that  ornament  before  the 
Most  Holv  Trinity." 


(1)     St.  Methodius  Const.,  Sermo  de  B.  Virg. 


100     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

"  Cor  Jesu,  Filii  Virginis  Matris,  miserere 
nobis!" 

Make    frequent    ejaculations   during   the 
day  to  Our  Lord  in  the  Tabernacle. 

Jesus,  my  God,   I   love  Thee  above  all 
things. 

(50  days'  Indulgence.) 


Scvcntb 


THE    SACRED    HEART    IN    THE    GIFT    OF    THE 
EUCHARIST. 

THE  Sovereign  Pontiffs  who  instituted 
the  Feast  of  the  Sacred  Heart  declare  that 
the  motive  for  this  worship  is  to  recognize 
and  honor  under  the  symbol  of  the  human 
Heart  of  Jesus  Christ,  His  love  for  man 
kind,  shown  above  all  in  His  Passion  and 
in  the  institution  of  the  Eucharist.  It  is  to 
this  second  manifestation  of  His  love  that 
we  render  homage  in  the  following  adora 
tion. 

Nowhere  has  the  Sacred  Heart  stamped 
an  impression  more  profound,  more  visible 
than  in  this  institution,  since  the  Eucharist 
is  the  most  magnificent  gift,  the  highest  ef 
fort  of  Its  power,  the  masterpiece  that  ex 
hibits  His  love  as  never  before.  His  two 
fold  nature,  divine  and  human,  appears 
therein  in  the  marvels  and  the  goodness 
that  He  scatters  abroad  without  measure. 
The  double  phase  of  His  existence,  the 
mortal  here  below,  the  glorified  in  heaven, 

101 


102     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

are  revealed  therein  in  the  throes  of  sor 
row  and  in  the  sovereign  mediation  which 
He  began  by  the  oblation  of  the  Eternal 
Sacrifice  upon  the  altar  of  the  Cenacle. 

It  is,  then,  the  Heart  of  the  God  made 
man,  revealing  Itself  at  the  Last  Supper  as 
the  Institutor  of  the  Eucharist,  that  we  are 
going  to  acknowledge  and  adore :  "  Cum 
dilexisset  suos  qui  erant  in  mundo,  in  finem 
dilexit  eos — Having  loved  His  own  who 
were  in  the  world,  He  loved  them  to  the 
end." 

ADORATION. 

The  Heart  of  the  Son  of  God,  carrying 
in  It  the  eternal  love  which  is  the  very 
nature  of  God,  possessing  almighty  power 
to  show  forth  that  infinite  love  in  works 
worthy  of  Him — the  Sacred  Heart,  which 
labored  for  thirty-three  years  to  prove  Its 
love  for  the  world  by  innumerable  benefits 
of  prayer,  devotedness,  teaching,  goodness, 
and  mercy,  having  loved  His  ozvn,  wishes, 
at  the  end  of  Its  mortal  life,  to  sum  up  all 
Its  gifts  in  one  which  surpasses  them  all,  in 
a  masterpiece  which  crowns  all  others,  and 
so  instituted  the  Eucharist:  "In  finem 
it — He  loved  them  to  the  end," 


Seventh  Day.  103 

The  Gospel  tells  us :  "  Scicns  quia  omnia 
dedit  ei  Pater  in  manus  ei  qida  a  Deo  exivit 
et  ad  Deuni  vadit — Knowing  that  the 
Father  had  given  all  things  into  His  hands, 
and  that  He  came  from  God  and  goeth  to 
God,"  that  is  to  say,  that  He  is  as  truly 
God  as  His  Father,  Jesus  recalls  this  truth 
to  His  disciples.  Under  the  influence  of 
this  remembrance,  wishing  to  love  in  God, 
He  loves  even  to  the  end,  that  is  to  say,  in 
finitely,  without  other  measure  than  that  of 
these  two  terms  which  have  no  measure : 
the  divinity  of  His  origin  and  the  divinity 
of  His  end.  In  finem  dilexit.  And  as  the 
works  and  gifts  of  love  must  be  propor 
tioned  to  its  power  and  extent,  the  gift,  the 
work  springing  from  this  appeal  to  His 
Divinity,  is  a  marvel  of  infinite  beauty,  of 
infinite  goodness,  of  infinite  extent :  In 
finem  dilexit! 

It  is  a  marvel  of  the  two  natures,  the 
divine  and  the  human,  integral  and  living, 
which  constitute  the  Man-God,  glorified, 
confined  in  the  narrow  limits  of  what  ap 
pears  to  be  a  morsel  of  bread !  It  is  the 
most  marvellous  of  all  the  great  love,  of 
all  the  great  benefits  of  God  and  of  His 
Christ,  creation,  the  Incarnation,  Redemp- 


104     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

tion,  grace,   and    glory,    all    concentrated, 
summed    up    in    this    one    proof,    this    still 
greater  proof  of  love,  the  gift  of  the  Eucha 
rist  !     It  is  the  marvel  of  the  actual  abiding 
on  earth  of  the  Son  of  God  made  man,  after 
He  had  re-ascended  to  heaven,  the  sojourn 
due   His  dignity!     It  is  the  marvel  of  an 
unbloody  immolation,  wrought  upon  Him 
self  and  by  Himself,  although  through  the 
agency  of  a  visible  minister,  and  renewing 
in  all  its  efficacy  the  sacrifice  of  His  death, 
giving  to  God  the  same  satisfaction  and  ob 
taining  for  man  the  same  redemption!     It 
is  the  marvel  of  a  little  bread  that  has  lost 
its  natural  substance  by  changing  it,  at  the 
breathing  of  a   sacerdotal  word,  into  that 
of  Jesus  Christ !     Under  its  frail  envelope 
it  contains  Jesus  Christ  in  His  whole  being. 
It  feeds  the  human  soul  with  Him,  pouring 
into  it  the  perfections  of  His  Divinity,  the 
virtues  of  His  Soul,  the  living  properties  of 
His   Flesh   and   Blood,   the   merits   of   His 
sacred  life,  His  heroic  death,  and  the  vic 
torious   spoils   of   His   Resurrection.     It   is 
the  marvel  of  time  conquered  by  this  fragile 
Host,  which  sways  all  ages,  giving  strength 
and  duration  to  all  that  lean  upon  It,  like 
the  Church  which,  persecuted  by  enemies 


Seventh  Day.  105 

without,  weakened  by  the  corruption  of  her 
children  within,  still  exists  while  the  most 
solid  empires  crumble!  It  is  the  marvel  of 
distance  cleared,  oceans  filled  up,  mountains 
crossed  by  this  bond  of  the  Host,  wholly 
present  everywhere,  forming  the  connecting 
link  between  souls  and  creeds  and  morals, 
among  nations  the  most  diverse,  in  one 
same  adoration,  in  one  same  eating  of  the 
Bread  of  Life !  And  the  wonder  of  this 
Bread,  so  precious  that  a  single  one  of  its 
atoms  is  of  more  value  than  the  whob 
world,  that  it  multiplies  with  superb  magni 
ficence,  is  renewed  with  inexhaustible  fecun 
dity,  is  ofYered  daily  to  all:  Quantum  isti, 
tantum  ille,  nee  sumptus  consumitur! 

All  these  marvels  of  love — for  being 
gratuitous,  they  can  come  only  from  Him 
— proclaim  that  the  Heart  that  inspires 
them,  that  operates  them,  is  the  Heart  of  a 
God,  who  brings  His  almighty  power  into 
play. 

What  do  all  these  marvels  call  for  from 
us?  That  in  admiration,  astonishment, 
amazement,  but  also  in  firm  faith,  we  adore 
from  the  depths  of  our  soul  the  Gift,  the 
Marvel  of  the  Divine  Heart,  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament !  It  was  this  Gift  that 


106      The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  Divine  Saviour  had  in  view  when,  cast 
ing  aside  the  Sacramental  veils  in  order  to 
reveal  His  Heart,  which  had  given  It  at 
the  Last  Supper,  and  which  gives  It  still 
upon  our  altars,  He  said  to  Blessed  Mar 
garet  Mary :  "  Behold  the  Heart  that  has 
so  loved  men  that  It  has  spared  nothing 
even  to  exhausting  and  consuming:  Itself  in 
order  to  testify  to  them  Its  love ! " 

THANKSGIVING. 

Truly  the  Heart  of  a  man,  formed  to  ex 
press  in  a  human  manner  the  love,  the  good 
ness,  and  the  mercy  of  God,  thus  to  gain 
the  human  heart,  which  responds  only  to 
sympathy  and  yields  only  to  kindness,  the 
Sacred  Heart  reveals  Itself  in  the  institu 
tion  of  the  Eucharist  by  the  tenderness,  the 
intimacy,  the  familiarity  of  the  most  sincere 
friendship  that  can  be  imagined  between 
equals  and  brethren. 

"  Knowing,"  says  the  Gospel,  "  that  His 
hour  was  come  to  go  from  this  world  to  the 
Father,"  and  that  He  must,  consequentlv, 
be  separated  from  His  "  own  whom  He 
loved  so  much,"  the  Saviour  felt  His  Heart 
oppressed,  with  sadness  and  compassion  for 
them.  So,  He  resolved  to  "  love  them  to 


Seventh  Day.  107 

the  end,"  that  is,  to  remain  with  them  under 
the  form  of  the  Sacrament  while  ascending 
to  heaven  in  His  human  form.  It  is  the 
sincerity  of  His  human  Heart  which  ex 
presses  itself  by  this  attachment  "  for  His 
own,"  from  whom  He  cannot  depart  with 
out  feeling  It  torn  and  breaking.  His 
"  own!  "  Who  were  they?  They  were  those 
bound  to  Him  by  the  ties  of  blood,  by  the 
affection  that  He  had  shown  them,  by  that 
which  He  had  received  from  them,  by  the 
call  followed,  by  the  common  labors  under 
taken,  the  hatred  braved,  the  sufferings  en- 
aured.,  His  "  own  "  are  they  who,  aban 
doning  father  and  mother,  house  and  busi 
ness,  have  given  themselves  to  Him,  and 
who  depend  wholly  on  Him. 

While  suffering  in  His  Heart  at  being 
obliged  to  leave  those  loved  ones,  the  sight 
of  their  grief  and  the  tears  that  filled  their 
eyes  roused  His  tender  compassion  and  the 
desire  to  console  them.  "  Because  I  have 
told  ye  that  I  am  going  away,  sorrow  hath 
filled  your  heart.  No!  I  am  going  away, 
but  I  will  return  to  you !  "  Lastly,  the 
thought  of  what  they  would  have  to  suffer 
from  the  world  and  its  prince,  made  Him 
resolve  to  sustain  and  defend  them  :  "  No  ! 


108     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

I  will  not  leave  you  orphans.  I  will  remain 
with  you  all  days  even  to  the  end  of  the 
world !  " 

Under  the  pressure  of  all  these  sentiments, 
He  made  Himself  the  kind,  the  affectionate, 
the  familiar  Sacrament,  in  which  appear  all 
the  tenderness,  all  the  condescension  of  the 
most  human  of  all  hearts.  It  is  a  Sacra 
ment  which  is  taken  at  a  banquet  of  friends ; 
which  gives  Itself  under  the  well-known 
form  of  bread  broken,  of  a  cup  drunk  at  a 
hospitable  table;  which,  concealing  the 
human  form  of  Him  whom  It  contains,  ren 
ders  access  to  Him  more  easy,  His  frequent 
reception  more  unconstrained.  It  is  a 
Sacrament  which,  descending  into  the  breast 
of  man  to  mingle  with  his  substance,  proves 
to  him  to  what  intimate  union  Jesus  aspires, 
and  that  He  aims  at  being  associated  with 
his  labors,  his  trials,  his  joys,  his  whole  life 
in  this  valley  of  tears.  Ah,  how  truly 
human  is  the  Heart  of  the  Son  of  God,  who 
came  into  this  world  to  live  with  men  and  to 
gain  them  by  the  charms  of  His  Humanity ! 
He  longs  to  abide  forever  "  with  His  own, 
who  must  still  remain  in  this  world." 

Jesus  betrayed  His  inmost  Heart  when 
He  ended  the  bestowal  of  Himself  with 


Seventh  Day.  109 

these  words:  f( In  memoriam  facite. — Do 
this  in  remembrance  of  Me !  "  Remember 
Me!  What  an  appeal,  what  a  request, 
what  a  command  to  love  Him  are  contained 
in  these  two  words !  In  them  we  have  the 
proof  that  He  loves  us  with  a  truly  human 
love  based  on  reciprocity,  that  He  cannot 
bear  to  be  forgotten,  He  cannot  bear  not  to 
be  loved  by  us:  In  met  memoriam! 

Ah,  let  us,  then,  remember  Him  with 
faithful  and  loving  friendship,  for  which  He 
is  hungering  and  thirsting !  "  One  day, 
Good  Friday/'  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"  having  a  great  desire  to  receive  Our  Lord, 
I  said  to  Him  with  many  tears :  '  Sweet 
Jesus,  I  would  wish  to  be  consumed  by  de 
sire  for  Thee !  Not  being  able  to  possess 
Thee  today,  I  shall  not  cease  to  desire  Thee/ 
He  came  to  console  me  with  His  dear  Pres 
ence,  and  said  to  me :  '  My  daughter,  thy 
desire  has  so  touched  My  Heart  that,  if  T 
had  not  already  instituted  this  Sacrament  of 
Love,  I  would  do  so  now  in  order  to  give 
Myself  to  thee  as  nourishment.  I  take  so 
much  pleasure  in  being  desired  that,  as  often 
as  a  heart  forms  that  desire,  so  often  do  I 
look  upon  it  lovingly  to  draw  it  to  My 
self!'" 

9 


110     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

REPARATION. 

The  Saviour  had  prophesied  that  the  lot 
of  His  Heart  on  earth  would  be  "  re 
proach  and  misery :  "  Improperium  exspec- 
tavit  Cor  meum  et  miseriam  (1).  And,  in 
fact,  from  the  first  moment  of  Its  being, 
when  It  accepted  the  responsibility  of  the 
sins  of  men,  even  to  Its  last  pulsation  on  the 
Cross,  It  was  never  without  the  weight  of 
all  the  sorrows,  all  the  humiliations  that  they 
had  merited. 

His  sorrowful  life  here  below  was  re 
produced  in  the  institution  of  the  Eucha 
rist,  and  that  the  more  notably  as  He  in 
tended  this  Sacrament  to  be  the  memorial 
of  all  His  sufferings  and  of  His  death.  The 
anguish,  the  opposition  endured,  the  repug 
nance  surmounted,  the  heroic  resignation  to 
support  everything,  were  very  clearly  fore 
seen  at  the  Last  Supper.  By  them  we  can 
trace  the  cruel  martyrdom  confronted  by 
the  Sacred  Heart  in  order  to  bestow  upon 
us  the  best  of  His  gifts. 

The  instrument  of  that  martyrdom  is  per 
sonified  in  Judas  whose  heart,  possessed  by 
Satan,  filled  by  him  with  implacable  hatred 

(1)     Ps.  Ixviii,  21. 


Seventh  Day.  Ill 

for  Jesus,  resolved  to  betray  Him  in  the 
Cenacle  by  a  sacrilegious  Communion,  and 
in  the  Garden  by  the  kiss  which  was  to 
point  Him  out  to  the  executioners :  "  Cum 
diabolus  jam  misisset  in  cor  ut  traderet  eum 
Judas — The  devil  having  now  put  it  into 
the  heart  of  Judas  to  betray  Him  "(1)-  The 
struggle  of  Jesus'  Heart  full  of  love  against 
that  of  Judas  full  of  hate,  constituted  the 
Eucharistic  Agony  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 
Jesus  still  loved  the  disciple  chosen  by  Him 
like  the  others,  whom  He  had  associated  to 
His  mission,  to  whom  He  had  confided  His 
secrets,  and  upon  whom  He  had  conferred 
the  power  of  working  miracles,  and  He 
longed  to  rescue  him  from  his  murderous 
design.  To  soften  his  heart,  He  lovingly 
washed  and  kissed  his  feet.  But  all  in  vain, 
and  He  signifies  it  to  him  in  the  ambiguous 
words :  "  Ye  are  pure,  but  not  all"  Alas ! 
While  Judas  was  taking  his  portion  of 
the  Paschal  lamb  from  the  hands  of  Jesus, 
the  Saviour,  in  order  to  relieve  His  own 
Heart  and  to  remind  the  traitor,  exclaimed 
in  a  loud  voice :  "  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  that 
one  of  you  is  about  to  betray  Me.  He  that 

(1)   John    xiii,    2. 


112     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

dippeth  his  hand  with  Me  in  the  dish,  he 
shall  betray  Me !  " 

He  had  consecrated  the  Eucharist,  say 
ing:  "Take  ye  and  eat.  Take  ye,  and 
drink,"  and  Judas  had  extended  his  hand  to 
receive  his  share  of  the  Divine  Bread,  and 
his  lips  are  immersed  in  the  Chalice  whence 
the  lips  of  Jesus  had  drunk.  Then  Jesus 
says  in  a  voice  grave  and  full  of  emotion: 
"  He  that  dippeth  his  hand  with  Me  in  the 
dish,  he  shall  betray  Me.  It  were  better  for 
him  if  that  man  had  never  been  born !  " 
While  the  Apostles,  agitated  and  frightened, 
eagerly  declared  their  fidelity,  Judas  affected 
to  do  the  same ;  and  the  Saviour,  indignant 
at  his  hypocrisy,  uttered  this  cry  of  sorrow : 
"  The  Scripture  sayeth :  and  it  must  be  ful 
filled:  He  that  eateth  bread  with  Me  shall 
raise  up  his  heel  against  Me !  " 

Jesus  felt  that  odious  and  persistent 
treason  so  keenly  that,  by  the  allusion  which 
He  made  to  it,  He  opened  a  vent  for  the 
agony  He  endured  in  His  Heart.  Not  being 
able  to  contain  it,  He  showed  Himself 
troubled,  and  He  protested  against  its  vio 
lence  and  against  him  who  caused  it:  Cum 
haec  dixisset  Jesus,  turbatus  est  spiritu  ct 


Seventh  Day.  113 

protestatus  est(l).  The  grief  at  being  thus 
profaned  and  betrayed,  indignation  against 
the  blackness  of  the  crime,  persistent  pity  for 
the  traitor  rushing  blindly  to  his  own  de 
struction,  stirred  His  very  soul,  made  His 
Heart  shudder:  Turbatus  est  spiritu — He 
was  troubled  in  spirit,  and  brought  to  His 
lips  the  burning  and  bitter  words  of  protest : 
"  Et  protestatus  est." 

Then  Jesus  became  resigned,  for  His  love 
would  not  allow  the  crime  of  Judas  to  be  an 
obstacle  to  His  giving  the  Eucharist  to  the 
world:  ff  Quod  fads,  fac  citiiis! — That 
which  thou  dost,  do  quickly !  "  And  yet  He 
saw  behind  Judas  all  the  traitors  that  would, 
under  the  guise  of  hypocritical  piety,  ap 
proach  to  receive  Him  at  the  Banquet  of 
Holy  Communion,  to  profane  Him,  and  to 
deliver  Him  to  the  demon. 

To  be  betrayed  at  the  very  moment  in 
which  one  loves  most,  is  sorrow  supreme, 
mortal  agony  for  the  human  heart!  And 
as,  at  the  Last  Supper,  Jesus  called  upon  the 
co-disciples  of  Judas  to  repair  by  their 
fidelity  and  compassion,  so  does  He  now  de 
mand  reparation  and  consolation  from  faith 
ful  souls. 

(1)  John   xiii,   21. 


114     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

He  said  to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary: 
"  And  in  return  I  receive  for  the  most  part 
only  ingratitude,  expressed  by  the  contempt, 
irreverence,  sacrilege,  and  coldness  that  they 
have  for  Me  in  this  Sacrament  of  Love! 
But  what  is  more  hurtful  to  Me  is  that  there 
are  hearts  consecrated  to  Me  who  treat  Me 
thus.  I  feel  that  more  keenly  than  all  I  en 
dured  in  My  Passion!  Do  thou,  at  least, 
give  Me  the  consolation  of  seeing  thee  sup 
plying  as  much  as  thou  canst  for  their  in 
gratitude  !  " 

PETITION. 

If  the  first  phase  of  the  existence  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  is  consumed  in  suffering,  the 
second,  a  just  recompense  of  the  former,  is 
passed  in  immortality,  power,  and  glory. 
The  Heart  of  the  Eternal  Priest,  who  has 
ascended  even  to  the  throne  of  God  to  plead 
uninterruptedly  in  our  behalf,  and  who  at  the 
Last  Supper  inaugurated  His  priesthood, 
His  love,  and  ever  watchful  solicitude  for 
us,  must  exhibit  itself  in  a  powerful,  ardent, 
and  devoted  prayer.  That  prayer,  begun  in 
the  august  sanctuary  of  the  Cenacle,  is  con 
tinued  and  it  will  be  continued  on  all  the 
altars  of  the  world  until  the  end  of  time. 


Seventh  Day.  115 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  institution  of 
the  Sacrament  is  also  the  institution  of  the 
Sacrifice,  the  prayer  par  excellence,  in  which 
Christ  prays  not  only  by  His  desires  and 
His  words,  but  by  His  Flesh  delivered  up 
and  His  Blood  poured  out.  Yes,  He  pays 
for  what  He  demands  by  the  price  of  His 
innocent  life. 

Asking  for  us  from  the  Father  the  de 
struction  of  sin,  pardon,  reconciliation,  resti 
tution  of  former  rights,  He  said,  raising  to 
heaven  His  Flesh  and  His  Blood  under  the 
species  of  bread  and  wine :  "  Behold  My 
Body  broken  for  you!  Behold  My  Blood 
shed  for  the  remission  of  your  sins !  " 

The  Adorable  High-Priest,  in  order  to 
give  them  efBcacy,  supported  all  the  prayers 
that  would  be  made  by  men  throughout  the 
ages  upon  this  fundamental  prayer  of  His 
Eucharistic  Sacrifice.  It  anticipated  at  the 
Last  Supper  and  it  was  to  reproduce  at  the 
altar  that  which  on  the  next  day  He  was  to 
offer  on  the  Cross.  Jesus  solicited  our 
prayer  and  roused  our  confidence  by  saying : 
"  Amen,  Amen,  I  say  to  you :  if  you  ask  the 
Father  anything  in  My  name,  He  will  give 
it  to  you.  Hitherto  you  have  not  asked  any 
thing  in  My  name.  Ask,  and  you  shall  re- 


116     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

ceive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full."  Again, 
He  said :  "  Whatsoever  you  shall  ask  the 
Father  in  My  name,  that  will  I  do :  that  the 
Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son.  If  you 
shall  ask  Me  anything  in  My  name,  that  I 
will  do  that  your  joy  may  be  full.  If  you 
abide  in  Me,  and  My  words  abide  in  you, 
you  shall  ask  whatsoever  you  will  and  it 
shall  be  done  unto  you  "  (1). 

Behold  the  Heart  of  the  all-powerful,  the 
all-merciful  Priest!  He  is  all-powerful  by 
His  sacrifice  in  which  He  has  spared  noth 
ing  to  satisfy  His  Father.  He  is  all-power 
ful  by  His  purity,  His  love,  His  persever 
ance.  He  is  all-merciful,  because  being 
laden  with  our  debts,  He  learned  by  experi 
ence  the  excess  of  our  evils  and  the  extent 
of  our  needs. 

Jesus  asks  us  to  pray  with  Him,  by  Him, 
in  Him,  with  confidence,  humility,  persever 
ance,  since  every  prayer  that  issues  from  a 
sincere  heart  is  secure  of  finding  in  His  in 
finitely  good  Heart  access  and  success. 
"  My  Heart  is  so  passionately  in  love  with 
men,"  He  said  to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"  that  It  can  no  longer  contain  within  Itself 


(1)     John  xv. 


Seventh  Day.  117 

the  flames  of  Its  ardent  charity.  It  must 
pour  them  out  by  means  of  thee,  and  mani 
fest  Itself  to  them  to  enrich  them  with  Its 
treasures,  which  contain  all  the  graces  of 
which  they  have  need  to  be  saved  from  per 
dition."  And  at  another  time,  He  said :  "  I 
constitute  thee  the  heiress  of  My  Heart  and 
of  all  Its  treasures.  I  promise  that  assist 
ance  shall  never  be  wanting  to  thee  till 
power  is  wanting  to  Me !  " 

Pray   for  greater   reverence  toward  the 
Holy  Eucharist. 

O    Sacrament    most    holy!     O    Sacrament 
divine ! 

All  praise  and  all  thanksgiving  be  every  mo 
ment  Thine ! 

(100  days'  Indulgence.) 


10 


THE  SACRED  HEART  IN   THE  PASSION. 

WHEN  Our  Lord  allowed  the  centurion's 
lance  to  pierce  His  Heart,  and  to  end  by 
that  solemn  and  unexpected  blow  the  in 
numerable  outrages  of  His  Passion,  He  de 
sired  to  prove  what  an  immense  role  that 
Heart  had  played  in  it.  That  Wound  was 
never  effaced  from  His  Sacred  Person.  It 
remains  open  even  in  His  glorified  flesh,  like 
a  master's  seal  on  his  work.  It  proclaims 
that  it  was  the  Sacred  Heart  which  con 
ceived,  willed,  and  suffered  the  Passion.  Re 
vealing  It  to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  with 
Its  most  striking  wounds,  encircled  by  a 
crown  of  thorns,  pierced  through  and 
through  by  a  cross,  the  Saviour  said  to  her : 
"  These  instruments  of  My  Passion  signify 
that  the  immense  love  of  My  Heart  for  man 
kind  has  been  the  source  of  all  its  suffer 
ings."  The  Church,  when  approving  the 
worship  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  declared  that 
its  object  is  to  honor  His  love,  above  all,  in 
His  Passion  and  in  the  Eucharist.  There  is 
118 


Eighth  Day.  119 

no  question  of  the  pains  directly  endured 
by  the  Sacred  Heart,  but  only  of  the  part  It 
took  in  the  drama  of  the  Passion  from  the 
Cenacle  to  Calvary. 

ADORATION. 

The  role  played  by  the  Sacred  Heart  in 
the  Passion  is  of  primary  importance.  It 
was  the  responsible  inspirer  of  that  Passion. 
It  endured  the  greater  part  of  the  pains  that 
make  it  up.  It  was  fitting  that  it  should 
be  so,  for  this  double  role  belonged  to  It  of 
necessity. 

Nothing  could  oblige  the  Word  to  become 
incarnate  and  to  die  for  guilty  man.  It  was 
love  alone  that  led  Him  to  do  so,  spontane 
ous  love,  a  love  full  of  divine  generosity  and 
infinite  power.  This  was  the  love  that 
burned  in  the  Heart  of  Jesus  from  Its  first 
formation. 

Yielding  to  the  ardor  of  that  love,  pressed 
on  by  its  irresistible  impulse,  the  Saviour 
delivered  Himself  as  a  sacrifice  for  us: 
"  Christus  dilexit  nos  et  tradidit  semetipsum 
pro  nobis  oblationem  et  hostiam  Deo  in 
odorem  suavitatis — Christ  hath  loved  us,  and 
hath  delivered  Himself  for  us,  an  oblation 


120     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

and  a  sacrifice  to  God  for  an  odor  of  sweet 
ness  "(1). 

No  work  nor  prayer  nor  suffering  of 
guilty  man  being  capable  of  giving  satis 
faction  to  Divine  Justice  and  restoring  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  creation,  Jesus,  so  lov 
ing  His  Father  that  He  feared  not  to  con 
front  death  for  His  honor,  said  on  leaving 
the  Cenacle :  "  That  the  world  may  know 
that  I  love  the  Father,  let  us  go  to  Calvary : 
Ut  cognoscat  niundus  quiet  diligo  Patrem, 
eamus  hinc"  (2).  To  love,  then,  and  con 
sequently  to  the  Heart  all  loving,  belongs 
the  sublime,  the  heroic  design  of  the  Pas 
sion. 

Upon  that  strong  and  magnanimous 
Heart  fell  the  greater  part  of  the  sufferings 
and  humiliations  of  the  Passion.  Yes,  we 
may  say  that  directly  or  indirectly  the  Heart 
of  Jesus  supported  the  whole  weight  of  that 
dolorous  Passion. 

Directly,  It  endured  all  the  anguish  that 
has  the  heart,  the  affections  for  its  seat: 
treason,  denial,  the  abandonment  of  His 
own.  In  the  Garden,  It  endured  the  terror, 


(1)  Ephes.  iv,  2. 

(2)  John  xiv,  31. 


Eighth  Day.  121 

the  agony,  the  bitterness  and  disgust,  the 
weariness  and  mortal  sadness  of  the  Agony, 
all  those  pains  with  which  Jesus  said  His 
Heart  was  filled :  "  Repleta  est  malls  anima 
mea — For  My  soul  is  filled  with  evils  "  (1). 
Ah !  it  was  those  evils  overflowing  that  pro 
duced  the  exhaustion,  the  tears,  the  groans, 
the  bloody  sweat  under  which  He  suc 
cumbed  and  fell  prostrate  on  the  earth. 
Again,  upon  the  Cross,  it  was  the  Sacred 
Heart  that  directly  agonized  at  the  sight  of 
Mary  and  her  grief,  and  at  the  abandonment 
of  His  so-loved  Father  who,  though  long  in 
voked,  responded  only  by  a  disheartening 
and  grievous  silence. 

Indirectly,  the  Heart  of  Jesus  suffered  all 
the  torments  of  the  Passion  both  moral  and 
physical.  There  was  not  a  single  one  of  the 
outrages,  humiliations,  denials  of  justice, 
buffets,  pricks  of  the  thorns,  blows  of  the 
whip,  wounds  of  all  His  members,  effusions 
of  blood,  so  abundant,  so  painful,  so  ig 
nominious,  which  had  not  its  rebound  upon 
that  Heart,  the  furnace  of  life,  the  source  of 
life-blood,  and  the  organ  of  sensibility.  And 
it  had  to  be  so.  The  root  of  sin  and  its  es- 

(l)     Ps.   Ixxxvii,  4. 


122     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

sential  malice  being  in  the  perversion  of 
the  ungrateful  heart,  which  turns  away  from 
God  to  attach  itself  by  disorderly  affection 
to  the  creature, — if  Christ  wished  to  satisfy 
God  by  expiating  our  sins,  it  was  right  and 
just  that  His  Heart  should  suffer  most  and 
bear  the  heaviest  load  of  chastisement. 

Let  us,  then,  adore  the  Sacred  Heart, 
through  the  great  wound  which,  upon  the 
Cross,  opened  It  to  us  forever.  In  this  Book 
of  Life,  whose  characters  are  deeply  en 
graven  in  blood,  let  us  read,  let  us  contem 
plate,  in  amazed  and  compassionate  adora 
tion,  all  the  suffering,  the  love,  and  the  vir 
tues,  all  the  redeeming  power  of  the  Pas 
sion:  "  Et  aspicient  ad  me  quern  confine- 
runt;  et  plangent  eum  planctu  quasi  super 
unigentium — And  they  shall  look  upon  Me 
whom  they  have  pierced;  and  they  shall 
mourn  for  Him  as  one  mourneth  for  an  only 
son"(l). 

THANKSGIVING. 

The  Sacred  Heart  is  revealed  in  the  Pas 
sion  by  the  goodness,  meekness,  and  mercy, 
which  we  can  trace  in  it  from  the  beginning 

(1)  Z*ch.  xii,  10. 


Eighth  Day.  123 

to  the  end  of  that  terrible  drama.  Through 
out  its  whole  enactment,  Jesus  never  ceased 
to  love,  to  show  Himself  kind  to  those  who, 
in  any  manner  whatever,  contributed  to  His 
sufferings.  His  providential  love  was,  at 
the  same  time,  preparing  for  the  redeemed 
of  all  future  ages  treasures  of  merit  and 
example. 

As  we  can  trace  the  course  of  a  gentle 
stream  over  the  sharp  rocks  and  down  the 
rugged  sides  of  a  mountain  to  the  narrow 
valleys  below  where,  after  spreading  its  fer 
tilizing  influence,  it  rushes  on  to  wider 
plains,  so  in  the  tumult  and  horror  of  the 
Passion,  we  see  the  benevolence,  the  con 
descension,  the  forgiveness,  the  tenderness 
of  this  most  sweet  and  loving  Heart. 
Neither  man's  excess  of  hatred  and  fury, 
nor  Its  own  excess  of  sufferings  can  cause 
that  Heart  to  cease  from  loving:  "Aqua 
mult  a  non  potuerunt  extinguere  charitatem 
— Many  waters  cannot  quench  charity  "(1). 

Its  indulgent  goodness  received  the  trai 
tor  Judas,  and  hastened  to  cast  on  Peter, 
who  denied  Him,  a  glance  that  smote  his 
heart.  Its  considerate  goodness  protected 

(1)  Cant,  viii,  7. 


124     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  liberty  of  His  Apostles  that  they  might 
not  share  His  captivity.  Its  sweet  goodness 
in  the  spirit  of  obedience  bore  with  the  ig 
noble  treatment  and  the  iniquitous  judgment 
of  the  praetorium.  Its  generous  and  mag 
nanimous  goodness  prayed  for  the  salvation 
of  those  that  decreed  and  executed  His 
death-warrant.  Its  merciful  goodness 
granted  pardon  and  salvation  to  the  prayer 
of  the  good  thief.  The  provident  tenderness 
of  Its  filial  piety  strengthened  Him  to  tear 
Himself  away  from  His  Mother  by  giving 
her  John  to  hold  to  her  the  place  of  a  son 
when  He  Himself  should  be  no  more.  Its 
loving  confidence  committed  His  soul  into 
the  hands  of  His  Father  at  the  very  mo 
ment  that  He  appeared  to  be  the  most  aban 
doned  by  Him.  All  these  exhalations  from 
the  Heart  of  supreme  goodness  created 
around  the  terrifying  summit  of  Calvary  an 
atmosphere  of  sweetness,  benevolence,  and 
peace. 

Forgetful,  at  the  same  time,  of  Its  pains, 
and  rising  above  all  the  torments  that  later 
caused  His  death,  the  Sacred  Heart  urged 
Jesus  to  occupy  Himself  only  with  us,  our 
welfare,  our  salvation.  With  every  one  of 
the  sufferings  that  oppressed  Him,  with 


Eighth  Day.  125 

every  humiliation  that  covered  him  with  ig 
nominy,  with  every  drop  of  the  blood  which 
He  shed  with  so  much  agony,  He  mingled 
the  love  and  resignation,  the  humility  and 
meekness,  the  sweetness  and  perseverance 
with  which  He  bore  them,  thus  forming  the 
necessary  and  efficacious  remedies  for  our 
soul.  From  them  He  accumulated  the 
treasure  of  merits  from  which  we  can  draw 
to  enrich  ourselves  and  purchase  heaven, 
and  He  wrote  that  book  of  beautiful  and 
magnificent  examples,  which  the  generations 
of  all  ages  will  read  for  their  encouragement 
in  trial  and  suffering.  Jesus  took  care  to 
make  Himself  "  the  redemption  and  the  jus 
tification  of  all — Factus  est  nobis  a  Deo  jus- 
titia  et  sanctificatio  et  redemptio  "  (1).  Ah, 
what  devoted  goodness,  what  disinterested 
benevolence  were  necessary  for  that !  But 
His  Heart,  which  had  willed  the  Passion, 
never  ceased  to  act,  transforming  it  entirely 
into  a  work  of  love  for  our  immense  benefit. 
Shall  we  ever  be  sufficiently  grateful  to 
the  Sacred  Heart  for  Its  goodness,  for  the 
benefits  that  we  derive  from  the  Passion  that 
It  endured  for  us  ?  Do  we  understand  that 

(1)     I.  Cor.  i,  30. 


126     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  best  way  to  show  our  gratitude  is  to 
take  as  a  proof  of  love  the  trials  that  It 
sends  us? 

"  What  shall  I  render  to  Thee  for  all  the 
favors  Thou  hast  done  me  ? "  exclaimed 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary.  "  O  my  God,  how 
excessive  is  Thy  goodness  to  me  in  wishing 
that  I  should  eat  at  the  table  of  the  saints 
the  same  food  with  which  Thou  dost  nour 
ish  them !  Ah !  dost  Thou  not  well  know 
that  without  the  Cross  and  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  I  could  not  live,  I  could  not  sup 
port  the  weariness  of  my  exile  in  this  vale 
of  tears,  in  which  I  do  not  desire  any 
diminution  of  my  sufferings  ?  " 

REPARATION. 

By  Its  resolution  to  confront  death,  by  the 
immense  share  that  It  took  in  the  sorrows 
and  humiliations  of  the  Passion,  the  Sacred 
Heart  wished,  and  with  good  reason,  to  ex 
piate  the  leading  part  that  the  human  heart 
takes  in  sin.  It  desires  at  the  same  time  to 
give  sinners  the  grace  and  model  of  true 
contrition  and  conversion. 

It  is  the  heart  that  is  the  guilty  instrument 
of  sin,  for  the  radical  malice  of  sin  consists 


Eighth  Day.  127 

in    the    ungrateful    abandonment    and    in 
jurious  contempt  of  the  Infinite  Good,  which 
the  heart  commits  by  turning  away  from 
God,   and   in  the  perverse   and   disorderly 
attachment  by  which  it  gives  itself  to  the 
created,  passing,  and  finite  good  by  its  in 
sulting  preference.     "  Be  astonished,  O  ye 
heavens,  at  this,  saith  the  Lord.     My  peo 
ple  have  done  two  evils.     They  have  for 
saken  me,  the  fountain  of  living  water,  and 
have  digged  to  themselves  cisterns,  broken 
cisterns,    that    can    hold    no    water  !"(!)• 
Every  sin  springs  from  this  outrageous  in 
gratitude  of  the  heart  as  from  its  source. 
3  From  the  heart,  as  from  their  principle, 
says  the  Divine  Master,   "come  forth  all 
sins,"  even  those  of  which  the  other  mem 
bers  are  the  direct  instruments.     "  For  from 
the  heart  come  forth   evil   thoughts,    mur 
ders,   adulteries,    fornications,   thefts,   false 
testimonies,    blasphemies.     These    are    the 
things  that  defile  a  man  "(2).     Sin  is  so 
much  the  more  grievous  as  the  heart  is  the 
more  attached  to  it,  the  more  resolved  upon 
it.     It  is  the  more  grievous  as  it  is  the  more 

(1)  Jer.  ii,  12. 

(2)  Matt.  xv.  19. 


128     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

loved,  desired,  and  concealed  in  the  heart, 
which  will  not  renounce  it,  which  dissimu 
lates  it  under  the  cloak  of  deceit  and  hypoc 
risy,  and  which  tries  even  to  justify  it.  Sins 
of  surprise,  impulse,  or  weakness  are  small 
in  comparison  with  those  to  which  the  heart 
is  attached,  glued,  as  it  were,  in  which  it 
takes  its  delights  and  appears  to  make  its 
final  end  and  aim.  Ah,  this  is  why  the 
Saviour's  Heart,  which  had  taken  them  upon 
Itself,  had  to  expiate  them  by  torments  so 
cruel ! 

Holy  Scripture,  in  terms  expressive  of 
every  form  of  excessive  sorrow  and  humilia 
tion,  depicts  this  most  pure  Heart  struggling 
with  the  sins  of  the  human  heart.  It  is  a 
Heart  "troubled  and  shaken  even  to  its 
very  depths  by  mortal  terror;  a  Heart  de 
voured  by  pitiless  fire ;  a  Heart  which  melts 
like  wax  in  the  fire,  and  is  liquefied  like 
water;  a  Heart  reduced  to  nothingness;  a 
Heart  abandoned,  struck,  bruised,  broken, 
humbled,  rejected,  plunged  in  darkness, 
afflicted  with  innumerable  tribulations, 
filled  with  anguish,  sighing  and  groaning 
with  sorrow,  incapable  of  one  sentiment  of 
self-defence  or  justification.  And  the 
Gospel  recounts  the  agony  of  this  poor 


Eighth  Day.  129 

Heart  in  these  short  words,  wide  and  deep 
like  oceans  of  interior  sorrow :  "  Jesus 
began  to  fear  and  to  be  heavy,  and  He  fell 
flat  on  the  ground,  and  He  said :  '  My  soul 
is  sorrowful  even  unto  death ! ' ' 

Ah,  this  is  the  true  sorrow  of  the  Just 
One  endured  for  sinners,  the  perfect  con 
trition,  the  satisfaction  that  pays  every  debt, 
the  sincere  return  to  God  by  contempt  of 
every  created  joy,  the  sacrifice  of  every  at 
tachment  to  creatures!  With  this  contri 
tion  of  infinite  efficacy,  conceived  and  of 
fered  to  God  by  the  Heart  of  Him  who, 
having  no  sin,  was  burdened  with  the  male 
diction  incurred  by  our  trangressions,  we 
must  penetrate  our  heart  in  order  to  return 
it  to  God  by  a  true  conversion,  torn  and 
bruised  by  repentance :  "  Convertimini  ad 
me  in  toto  corde  vestro;  et  scindite  cord'i 
vestra  et  non  vestimenta  vestra! — Be  con 
verted  to  me  with  all  your  heart,  in  fasting, 
and  in  weeping,  and  in  mourning,  and  rend 
your  hearts,  and  not  your  garments"  (1). 

Unless  we  hearken  to  these  words  of  the 
inspired  prophet,  terrible  will  be  the  chas 
tisement  that  will  strike  our  heart  both  in 

(i)    Joel  ii,  12. 


130     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

this  life  and  in  the  next,  for  if  the  pure  and 
living  Heart  was  thus  afflicted,  what  will  it 
be  with  a  dry  and  withered  one?  "Si  in 
viridi  ligno  h<zc  faciunt,  in  arido  quid  fiet? 
— For  if  in  the  green  wood  they  do  these 
things,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry?  "(1). 
All  the  heartaches  that  cast  a  gloom  over 
life  and  fill  it  with  bitterness ;  that  long  and 
sad  privation  in  purgatory  of  the  possession 
of  God,  more  cruel  than  the  flames  of  the 
fiery  prison  itself ;  the  absolute  abandonment 
of  the  soul  by  God,  with  no  hope  of  any 
possible  communication  with  Him  under  the 
weight  of  His  wrath  and  malediction  in  hell 
— such  are  the  chastisements  of  the  guilty 
heart  that  refuses  to  cast  itself  into  the 
wounded  Heart  of  Jesus,  thence  to  draw 
contrition,  repentance,  and  love,  which  wash 
away  every  fault,  deliver  from  every  punish 
ment,  and  reconcile  with  God  in  eternal 
peace ! 

Ah!  rather  let  us  imitate  Blessed  Mar 
garet  Mary  who,  after  Communion,  having 
seen  Jesus  under  the  figure  of  the  Ecce 
Homo  laden  with  His  Cross,  covered  with 
wounds  and  bruises,  heard  Him  say  to  her 


(1)  Luke  xxiii,  31. 


Eighth  Day.  131 

in  a  voice  full  of  sadness:  "Will  no  one 
have  pity  on  Me?  "  The  Blessed  Sister  fell 
at  His  feet  with  tears  and  sighs.  "The 
Saviour,"  she  tells  us,  "  laid  upon  my  shoul 
ders  His  heavy  Cross,  which  was  bristling 
with  iron  points.  While  sinking  under  its 
weight,  I  began  to  understand  as  never  be 
fore,  the  malice  and  grievousness  of  sin.  I 
detested  it  so  heartily  that  I  should  have 
preferred  a  thousand  times  to  cast  myself 
headlong  into  hell  than  ever  commit  a  single 
one.  '  O  abominable  sin ! '  I  exclaimed, 
'  how  detestable  thou  art,  on  account  of  the 
injury  thou  didst  inflict  on  my  Sovereign 
Good!5" 

PETITION. 

The  grace  that  comes  from  the  contem 
plation  of  Jesus  in  the  Passion  is  chiefly  the 
love  of  suffering  such  as  He  Himself  had, 
the  love  of  it  for  His  sake,  because  He  loved 
it  for  ours. 

Although  He  fully  understood  all  its  ex 
tent  and  horror,  Jesus  voluntarily  chose  suf 
fering.  He  took  upon  Himself  far  more 
than  was  necessary  to  satisfy  the  Father 
and  to  redeem  the  world  from  sin,  and  this 
He  did  only  because  to  embrace  greater  suf- 


132     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

faring  is  a  proof  of  greater  love.  Will  not 
this  example  of  His,  this  proof  of  His  im 
mense  goodness  toward  us,  convert  us  to 
the  love  of  suffering,  or,  at  least,  to  love 
God  in  that  which  He  sends  us  even  if  we 
have  not  the  courage  to  ask  for  more  and 
still  more? 

To  love  God  in  suffering  is  to  submit 
without  undue  sadness  or  murmuring  to  His 
will  in  time  of  trial.  It  is  to  offer  Him  our 
pain  as  a  sacrifice  of  prayer  and  expiation. 
It  is  to  continue  to  hope  in  Him,  to  believe 
in  His  goodness,  in  spite  of  the  appearance 
of  severity  that  accompanies  the  trial,  to 
think  well  of  Him :  "  Sentite  de  Domino  in 
bonitate — Think  of  the  Lord  in  good 
ness  "  (1).  To  love  God  in  suffering  is  to 
cultivate  the  virtues  that  it  requires  and  that 
it  so  quickly  perfects,  namely,  humility, 
meekness,  patience,  fortitude,  and  love: 
"  Patientia  opus  perfectum  habet — Patience 
hath  a  perfect  work  "  (2). 

To  love  God  in  suffering  is  to  transform 
suffering  into  apostolic  charity  by  offering 
all  that  it  holds  in  the  way  of  sorrow  and 

(1)  Wisd.  i,  i. 

(2)  James   i,  4. 


Eighth  Day.  133 

humiliation  for  the  neighbor,  his  salvation 
and  sanctification,  for  the  conversion  of  sin 
ners,  for  the  dying,  and  for  the  deliverance 
of  the  souls  in  purgatory. 

How  easy  this  Christian  love  of  suffering, 
though  so  horrible  to  the  senses,  so  inex 
plicable  and  repugnant  to  reason,  would  be 
come  if  we  beheld  and  understood  it  in  the 
light  of  the  Sacred  Heart!  The  love  of 
suffering  is,  in  fact,  only  the  love  of  Jesus 
Himself.  It  is  true  that  all  imaginable  suf 
ferings  were  heaped  upon  Him,  and  that 
He  willed,  endured,  and  embraced  all.  It  is 
also  true  that  every  suffering  sent  by  Him 
is  an  effusion  of  His  Heart.  As  it  is  from 
the  plenitude  of  His  grace  that  we  receive 
every  grace,  it  is  from  the  plenitude  of  His 
sufferings  comes  every  trial  that  we  have  to 
bear.  It  was  once  endured  by  Him.  It 
comes  steeped  in  His  Blood,  adorned  with 
His  virtues,  transformed  by  His  loving 
patience  into  love  and  merit  for  us.  Oh, 
what  intensified  misfortune,  what  manifold 
trials,  is  suffering  without  love,  is  suffering 
deprived  of  the  light  and  support  of  the 
Sacred  Heart !  Suffering  must  be  borne 
even  if  there  be  no  supernatural  strength, 
no  hope,  and  no  fruit.  How  much  more 


134     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

severe,  more  bitter,  and  more  crushing  it 
then  is!  Oh,  how  much  easier  it  is  to  en 
dure  for  love,  to  pay  a  debt  of  love,  to  share 
the  pain  of  one  beloved,  to  relieve  him,  to 
be  inseparably  united  with  him,  to  press  the 
heart  wounded  by  trial  against  the  Heart 
crushed  by  the  Passion!  The  Apostle  ex 
perienced  this,  and  gave  us  the  example  of 
it  when,  enumerating  the  torments  and 
death  that  threatened  him,  he  exclaimed: 
"  Sed  in  his  omnibus  superamus  propter 
eum  qui  dilexit  nos! — But  in  all  these  things 
we  overcome  because  of  Him  that  hath 
loved  us"(l). 

And  Margaret  Mary,  the  confidante  of  the 
Heart  that  was  broken  on  the  Cross,  that  is 
annihilated  in  the  Sacrament  for  love  of  us, 
says :  "  I  know  not  how  a  spouse  of  Jesus 
Crucified  can  fail  to  love  the  Cross,  can  flee 
from  it,  since  in  doing  so  she  despises  Him 
who  bore  it  for  our  love  and  made  of  it  the 
object  of  His  delights.  We  can  love  Him 
only  inasmuch  as  we  love  crosses.  He  has 
Himself  told  me  that,  as  often  as  I  shall  en 
counter  the  Cross  and  lovingly  place  it  in 
my  heart,  I  shall  with  it  receive  and  taste 

(1)   Rom.  viii,  37. 


Eighth  Day.  135 

the  sweets  of  His  Presence,  for  He  accom 
panies  it  everywhere  as  being  the  true  char 
acter  of  His  love.  I  had  this  assurance  after 
Holy  Communion." 

May  it  be  for  us,  also,  the  fruit  of  each  of 
our  Communions  and  the  practical  con 
clusion  of  this  adoration ! 

Beg  Our  Lord  to  give  you  sincere  sorrow 
for  your  sins. 

Eternal  Father,  I  offer  Thee  the  Precious 
Blood  of  Jesus  in  satisfaction  for  my  sins 
and  for  the  wants  of  Holy  Church. 

(100  days'  Indulgence.) 


ttfntb 

THE   SACRED   HEART  IN    GETHSEMANI. 
ADORATION. 

THAT  part  of  the  drama  of  the  Passion 
which  was  played  in  Gethsemani  may  prop 
erly  be  called  the  Passion  of  the  Sacred 
Heart.  Although  the  Heart  of  the  Saviour, 
in  all  the  torments  that  He  underwent  for 
us,  ceased  not  for  one  instant  to  suffer,  even 
till  the  last  pulsation  with  which  He 
breathed  forth  His  soul  upon  the  Cross,  yet 
it  was  in  Gethsemani  that  every  pang  sprang 
from  the  depths  of  His  Heart,  fell  back  upon 
His  Heart,  flowed  in  torture  over  His  Heart. 
It  was  from  the  Heart  alone  that  His  agony 
then  came,  for  no  external  violence  from 
the  hands  of  the  myrmidons  who  seized 
Him,  the  iniquitous  judges  who  condemned 
Him,  the  executioners  who  scourged,  buf 
feted  and  crucified  Him,  then  struck  the 
Divine  Victim. 

From  this  almost  limitless  domain  of  the 
Passion  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  we  shall 
choose  as  our  subject  of  adoration  the 
136 


Ninth  Day.  137 

prayer  of  Our  Divine  Master  during  this 
night  of  agony.,  We  shall  reflect  upon  it  as 
the  motive  and  example  of  prayer  by  night, 
which  in  our  own  day  receives  the  name  of 
Nocturnal  Adoration,  and  which  was  de 
manded  by  the  Sacred  Heart  from  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary  as  one  of  the  chief  means 
of  Its  worship. 

"  Every  night,  between  Thursday  and 
Friday,  you  shall  rise  to  share  in  the  sad 
ness  that  I  willed  to  endure  in  the  Garden  of 
Olives,  and  to  bear  Me  company  in  the 
humble  prayer  I  then  presented  to  My 
Father." 

The  Gospel  tells  us  very  plainly  that  the 
Saviour  desired  with  a  formal  desire  several 
times  expressed,  that  His  Apostles  should 
watch  and  pray  with  Him  on  the  night  pre 
ceding  His  Passion. 

It  was  by  night  that  Christ  went  to  Geth- 
semani  to  pray.  He  consecrated  three  hours 
to  that  earnest  prayer,  which  His  grief 
changed  for  Him  into  an  "  agony." 

The  Pasch  was  celebrated  after  sundown. 
Jesus  entered  the  Cenacle  at  nightfall  and, 
after  the  three  repasts,  that  of  the  Paschal 
lamb,  that  of  the  ordinary  supper,  and  that 
of  the  Last  Supper,  it  was  night,  as  says 


138     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  Sacred  Text.  Then  Judas,  the  double 
traitor  toward  his  Master,  went  out,  to  de 
liver  Him  to  His  enemies:  " Erat  autem 
nox — And  it  was  night"  (1).  It  is  prob 
able  that  Jesus  entered  the  Garden  about  the 
ninth  hour,  and  we  are  led  to  believe  that 
He  prolonged  His  prayer  for  the  space  of 
three  hours.  We  know  for  certain  that  He 
spent  one  full  hour  in  prayer  before  going 
to  the  Apostles,  and  saying  to  them:  "Sic 
non  potuistis  una  hora  vigilare  mecum? — 
What!  Could  you  not  watch  one  hour  with 
Me?"  (2)  As  the  Evangelists  describe  in 
the  same  terms  the  other  two  stations  that 
Jesus  made  afar  from  His  Apostles :  "  He 
went  again  the  second  and  third  time,  and 
prayed,  saying  the  self-same  words:  Et 
iteruin  secundo  abiit  ct  oravit,  eundem  ser- 
monem  dicens"(3),  it  is  very  probable  that 
each  one  of  those  prayers  lasted  an  hour. 
What  makes  this  the  more  likely  is  the  fact, 
that  St.  Luke  says :  "  Et  factus  in  agonia, 
prolixius  orabat — And  being  in  an  agony, 
He  prayed  the  longer  "(4). 


(1)  John  xiii,  30. 

(2)  Matt,  xxvi,  40. 

(3)  John  xiii,  30. 

(4)  Luke  xxii,  43. 


Ninth  Day.  139 

Commentators  tell  us,  also,  that  in  resum 
ing  His  prayers,  despite  the  violent  struggle 
that  He  experienced,  the  Saviour  wished  to 
give  His  Apostles  an  example  of  persever 
ance  in  prayer.  He  desired  to  teach  them 
that  it  must  be  prolonged  until  the  soul  feels 
itself  drawn  nearer  to  God,  its  hope  en 
livened,  its  needs  supplied,  or  its  will  more 
perfectly  submissive  to  that  of  God.  They 
say,  also,  that  it  was  only  at  the  third  period 
of  His  prayer  that  an  angel  "  was  sent  to 
console  and  to  strengthen  Him." 

The  foregoing  reasons  render  it  very 
credible  that  the  Saviour  prolonged  His 
prayer  in  the  Garden  three  hours.  He 
passed,  in  consequence,  a  great  part  of  the 
night  in  adoration  before  His  Divine 
Father.  By  His  own  example,  He  conse 
crated  in  advance  the  nocturnal  prayer 
which  the  Church  was  to  practise  at  all  pe 
riods  of  her  existence.  He  Himself  set  the 
example  before  demanding  it  formally  of 
His  Apostles,  His  first  disciples,  priests,  and 
religious. 

THANKSGIVING. 

Yes,  it  is  first  of  all  for  Himself,  for  the 
support  and  consolation  of  His  Heart,  so 


140     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

truly  human,  that  He  desires  His  Apostles 
to  share  in  His  sorrowful  prayer.  He  has 
need  of  sympathy,  companionship,  and  fidel 
ity.  In  all  His  strength  as  the  Son  of  God, 
He  willed  to  be  feeble  as  the  Son  of  Man! 
He  is  plunged  in  death-like  sadness,  and  His 
Heart  is  about  to  begin  a  mortal  combat. 
Nothing  is  more  necessary  to  a  sufferer  than 
the  constant  and  faithful  presence  of  a  sym 
pathizing  friend,  who  understands,  enters 
into,  and  compassionates  his  pain.  And  so 
does  Jesus  "  look  for  some  one  who  will  con 
sole  Him  by  sharing  His  sadness."  He  is 
about  to  descend  into  the  arena,  to  begin, 
in  accordance  with  the  will  of  His  Father, 
a  combat  of  tears  and  supplications,  to  miti 
gate  His  rigor  and  obtain  that  He  will  be 
pleased  "  to  allow  that  chalice  to  pass ! " 
His  Heart  revolts  at  the  thought  of  all  the 
treason,  abandonment,  and  denials  in  store 
for  Him,  and  He  has  to  combat  against  that 
repugnance.  He  has  to  struggle  with  His 
own  soul  to  make  it  yield  voluntarily  to  a 
flood  of  opprobrium  and  ignominy,  and  even 
against  His  flesh  itself  when  imposing  upon 
it  the  most  horrible  sufferings.  He  feels  all 
the  horror  of  one  that  has  to  combat  alone, 
for  "  if  he  falls,  who  will  raise  him  up?  " 


Ninth  Day.  141 

Oppressed  by  the  necessities  of  the  human 
rtature  which  He  so  freely  assumed,  Jesus 
implores  the  presence  and  assistance  of  those 
whom  He  has  a  right  to  think  His  friends, 
since  He  had  so  loved  them.  He  makes 
known  to  them  the  need  that  He  has  of 
them :  "  Ah !  watch  ye  and  pray  with  me, 
for  my  soul  is  sad  unto  death !  " 

And  when  yielding  to  the  inexorable  de 
cision  of  His  Father,  who  will  pardon  the 
guilty  only  at  the  price  of  the  death  volun 
tarily  embraced  by  the  Innocent  One ;  when 
overcome  by  grief  and  shame  at  the  thought 
of  the  cruelty,  the  excess  of  humiliation, 
which  are  about  to  make  of  Him  "  the  last 
of  men  and  the  outcast  of  the  people,"  He 
fled  the  field  of  His  defeat  to  find  in  trie 
vigilant  solicitude  of  His  own  a  little  respite 
and  relief,  how  did  He  appear  ?  Ah,  behold 
Him ;  His  face  wan,  His  eyes  sunken,  His 
head  bowed  down,  His  shoulders  stooped, 
covered  with  the  bloody  sweat  that  has  been 
forced  from  His  pores  by  the  weight  of  His 
mental  sufferings !  Listen  to  Him  begging 
His  Apostles  to  have  pity  on  Him,  not  to  re 
fuse  "  to  watch  and  pray  at  least  one  hour 
with  Him." 


11 


142     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

REPARATION. 

Although  the  prayer  of  the  Saviour  in  the 
Garden  of  Olives  is  in  itself  a  deep  mine  for 
meditation,  we  shall  very  briefly  indicate  ac 
cording  to  the  Gospel,  its  exterior  character 
and  interior  composition,  since  it  should 
serve  as  a  model  for  "  all  the  servants  of 
the  Lord,"  who,  leaving  their  couches,  pass 
the  night  in  the  temple,  their  hands  raised 
toward  the  tabernacle,  and  blessing  the 
Lord:  " Ecce  nunc  benedicite  Dominum, 
omnes  servi  Domini  .  In  noctibus 

extollite  manus  vestras  in  sancta,  et  benedi 
cite  Dominum — Behold  now,  bless  ye  the 
Lord,  all  the  servants  of  the  Lord  .  .  . 
In  the  nights  lift  up  your  hands  to  the  holy 
places,  and  bless  ye  the  Lord  "  (1). 

Let  us  contemplate  the  Saviour's  prayer 
in  its  religious  exterior  in  the  sombre  sanc 
tuary  of  Gethsemani,  He  withdraws  some 
paces  from  even  His  most  intimate  disciples, 
in  order  to  separate  Himself  from  every 
creature,  buries  Himself  in  solitude  favor 
able  to  prayer,  and  presents  Himself  alone 
before  His  Divine  Father :  "  Et  progressus 


(l)     Ps.  cxxxiii. 


Ninth  Day.  143 

pusillum,  avulsus  est  ab  els  quantum  jactus 
est  lapidis — And  when  He  had  gone  for  ward 
a  little,  about  a  stone's  throw,"  He  fell  upon 
His  knees  in  prayer,  acknowledging  before 
the  Divine  Majesty  the  inferiority  and  weak 
ness  of  His  human  nature :  "  Et  positis 
genibus  orabat — And  falling  on  His  knees, 
He  prayed."  But  that  posture  is  not  suf 
ficiently  humiliating.  He  falls  face  down 
ward  on  the  earth,  overwhelmed  by  the 
weight  of  Divine  Justice.  He  hides  His 
face  because,  covered  with  our  sins  as  with 
a  filthy  leprosy  and  struck  on  that  account 
by  the  wrath  of  God,  He  cannot  endure  the 
brightness  of  His  sanctity:  "  Procidit  super 
t  err  am  in  fad  em  suam,  orans — He  fell  on 
His  face  to  the  earth,  praying."  Struck. 
humbled,  rejected  by  His  Father,  for  whose 
honor,  however,  He  was  suffering,  He  fell 
into  an  agony,  "Foetus  in  agonia" 

The  struggle  between  His  spiritual  will 
which  wishes  at  any  price  to  satisfy  the  de 
mands  of  God  and  His  sensible  will  which 
He  permits  to  feel  and  express  insurmount 
able  repugnance,  is  such  that  from  His 
whole  person,  crushed  under  the  weight  of 
agony,  a  bloody  sweat  breaks  out.  Soon  He 
is  covered  with  it  from  head  to  foot.  It 


144     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

flows  down  on  the  earthen  floor  of  the 
grotto :  ff  Et  factus  est  sudor  ejus  sicut 
guttae  sanguinis  decurrentis  in  terrain 
— And  His  sweat  became  as  drops  of  blood, 
trickling  down  upon  the  ground." 

In  this  abasement,  in  this  agony,  Jesus 
prays  for  three  hours! — Ah,  how  humble, 
respectful,  submissive,  and  at  the  same  time 
loving  and  confident  toward  His  Father! 
"  Father,  if  Thou  wilt,  remove  this  chalice 
from  Me!  Yet  not  My  will,  but  Thine  be 
(ione  j  " — And  again :  "  Abba,  Father,  all 
things  are  possible  to  Thee!  Remove  this 
chalice  from  Me,  but  not  what  I  will,  but 
what  Thou  wilt !  "—And  again :  "  My 
Father,  if  this  chalice  may  not  pass  away  but 
I  must  drink  it,  Thy  will  be  done !  " 

In  the  Saviour's  soul,  His  agony  was  still 
more  cruel.  It  was  from  the  exhaustion  of 
His  Heart  that  His  knees  had  given  way 
and  that  He  had  fallen  to  the  earth.  It  was 
from  the  extreme  sadness  of  His  Heart,  tor 
tured  by  the  most  cruel  agonies,  that  had 
sprung  the  bloody  sweat  which  inundated 
Him. 

PETITION. 

The  "  Master  of  Prayer "  gave  in  the 
Garden  the  ideal  model  of  every  prayer. 


Ninth  Day,  145 

Though  under  different  conditions,  He  con 
tinues  this  example  in  the  Eucharist. 

Instituted  to  be  the  perfect  and  perpetual 
memorial  of  the  Passion  of  the  Saviour,  the 
Eucharist  carries  down  through  the  cen 
turies  the  remembrance  of  the  prayer  and 
the  agony  of  Gethsemani,  It  recalls  the  fact 
itself  together  with  the  sorrow  and  the  love. 
It  applies  its  virtues,  and  confers  its  fruits. 

It  continues  it  in  reality,  but  under  condi 
tions  compatible  with  the  glorified  and  im 
passible  state  which  the  immortal  Christ  re 
tains  even  under  the  sacramental  veil  of 
death.  Of  the  mental  and  physical  suffer 
ings,  of  the  bloody  sweat,  of  the  abandon 
ment  of  His  Father  which  marked  His 
agony,  the  Eucharistic  Christ  retains  only 
the  remembrance,  a  remembrance  blessed 
and  recompensed.  But  desirous  to  per 
petuate  as  much  of  His  Passion  as  is  pos 
sible,  He  continues  His  prayer  in  the  lowli 
ness  of  a  state  of  inertia,  which  abases  Him 
before  His  Father  even  below  that  of  Geth 
semani.  There,  the  pallor  of  His  divine 
countenance,  the  agony  and  the  blood,  with 
out  doubt,  disfigured  Him ;  but  here,  He  is 
no  longer  human,  He  is  but  a  little  dust.  He 
dwells  alone,  abandoned  by  indifferent,  un- 


146     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

grateful,  or  hostile  men,  an  abandonment  far 
more  displeasing  to  Him  than  was  the  sleep 
of  the  Apostles ;  and  there  He  will  remain 
night  and  day  until  the  consummation  of 
ages.  Every  morning  at  the  Consecration, 
He  descends,  perseveringly  overcoming 
all  repugnance,  into  the  Gethsemani  of  the 
Sacrament,  there  to  resume  His  prayer,  in 
the  humility  of  His  attitude  and  the  ardor 
of  His  desires  for  the  redemption  of  the 
world  and  the  coming  of  His  kingdom. 

But  remaining  truly  man  in  His  Heart 
and  affections,  seeking  a  return  of  love  from 
us,  still  feeling  the  need  of  our  presence  and 
fidelity,  of  our  sympathy  and  compassion, 
in  which  He  finds  consolation  for  His  past 
sufferings  and  present  humiliations,  He  calls 
upon  us,  He  supplicates  us  to  keep  Him  com 
pany,  to  stay  with  Him,  to  unite  with  Him 
in  prayer  as  much  for  His  sake  as  for  our 
own.  It  was  this  desire  that  He  earnestly 
expressed  at  the  moment  He  instituted  the 
Eucharist,  when  He  said :  "  Manete  in  me, 
manete  in  dilectione  mea — Remain  in  me,  re 
main  in  my  love."  He  did  this  in  a  manner 
still  more  precise  when  He  deigned  to  throw 
off  the  sacramental  veils  and  reveal  the 
mystery  of  His  existence,  the  love  and  the 
needs  of  His  Heart  in  the  Eucharist. 


Ninth  Day.  147 

To  His  blessed  confidante,  Margaret 
Mary,  He  said :  "  Every  night  between 
Thursday  and  Friday,  thou  shalt  rise  be 
tween  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock  and  bear 
Me  company  in  the  humble  prayer  which  I 
offered  to  My  Father  in  the  Garden  of 
Olives.  During  this  hour  thou  shalt  do 
what  I  shall  teach  thee. 

"  Thou  shalt  prostrate,  face  downward  on 
the  ground,  as  much  to  appease  the  Divine 
anger  while  imploring  mercy  for  sinners, 
as  to  sweeten  in  some  degree  the  abandon 
ment  of  My  Apostles,  which  forced  Me  to 
reproach  them  for  not  having  watched  one 
hour  with  Me. 

"  I  shall  make  thee  share  in  the  mortal 
sadness  which  I  then  willed  to  endure,  and 
it  shall  reduce  thee,  without  thy  being  able 
to  understand  it,  to  a  species  of  agony  more 
insupportable  than  death  itself." 

Beg  Our  Eucharistic  Lord  to  increase  the 
devotion  of  the  Holy  Hour  among  the  Faith 
ful. 

Jesus,  meek  and  humble  of  Heart,  make 
my  heart  like  unto  Thine. 

(300  days'  Indulgence.) 


Uentb 

THE  SACRED  HEART  IN  AGONY. 
ADORATION. 

^  THE  Saviour  called  the  whole  Apostolic 
College  to  accompany  Him  in  His  prayer: 
"  Sedete  hie  donee  vadam  illuc  et  or  em — Sit 
you  here,  till  I  go  yonder  and  pray."  To 
three  chosen  friends  among  them,  whom  He 
took  with  Him  to  the  vicinity  of  the  grotto 
into  which  He  descended  to  pray,  He  said : 
"  Tristis  est  anima  mea  usque  ad  mortem: 
sustinete  hie  et  vigilate  mecum! — My  soul  i? 
sorrowful  even  unto  death:  stay  here  and 
watch  with  Me."  Is  this  only  a  simple  recom 
mendation?  Is  it  an  order?  Is  it  a  task 
that  He  assigns?  a  prayer  that  He  ad 
dresses  to  them?  We  cannot  read  these 
words  without  being  impressed  by  their 
earnestness  and  their  sorrowful  accent,  with 
out  beholding  the  august  countenance  of  the 
Saviour  already  clouded  by  mortal  sadness, 
without  comprehending  that  His  Heart, 
terror-stricken,  agonized,  filled  with  bitter - 
148 


Tenth  Day.  149 

ness  and  disgust,  is  already  in  the  throes  of 
anguish. 

If  Jesus  commands  the  Apostles  to  watch, 
it  is  that  they  may  pray  with  Him ;  for  when, 
after  an  hour  of  struggle,  He  returned  to 
seek  relief  and  comfort  in  their  fidelity  and 
found  them  sleeping  heavily,  He  roused 
them  with  these  energetic  words :  "  Why 
sleep  ye?  Arise,  pray! — Quid  dormitis? 
Surgite,  orate!  "  He  reproached  them  with 
their  sloth :  "  Sic  non  potuistis  una  hora 
ingilare  mecum! — Could  you  not  watch  one 
hour  with  me?  " 

Twice  did  He  return  with  the  same  en 
treaties,  which  He  supported  on  the  motive 
of  their  own  interest  and  the  threat  of  see 
ing  it  compromised :  "  Vigilate  et  orate,  ut 
non  intretis  in  tentationem — Watch  and 
pray  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation.'"' 
"  Spiritus  quid  em  promptus,  caro  out  em  in- 
firma — The  spirit  indeed  is  willing  "  (to  re 
solve  and  to  promise),  "but  the  flesh  is 
weak  "  (to  execute).  Being  able  neither  by 
prayer  nor  recommendation  nor  reproofs 
nor  threats,  to  overcome  their  pitiful  torpor, 
He  said  to  them  at  last  in  a  tone  of  gentle 
irony :  "  Sleep  ye  now,  and  take  your  rest : 
— Dormite  jam  et  requiescite."  The  hour 

12 


150     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

for  prayer  is  past.  But  no:  " Suflicit — It 
is  enough.  The  hour  is  come.  Behold  the 
Son  of  Man  shall  be  betrayed  into  the  hands 
of  sinners.  Rise,  let  us  go.  Behold,  he 
that  will  betray  Me  is  at  hand. — Surgite, 
eamus:  ecce  qui  me  tradet,  prope  est." 

There  can  be  no  wish  more  clearly  de 
fined,  no  demand  more  pressing.  The 
Saviour  surely  wills  that  His  followers 
should  unite  with  Him  in  His  watching  and 
praying. 

He  even  deigned  to  give  the  reasons  for  it, 
and  they  are  both  urgent  and  touching.  He 
sums  them  up  in  these  two  words :  the  press 
ing  need  of  His  Heart,  and  the  chief  interest 
of  their  soul. 

THANKSGIVING. 

But,  alas !  This  consolation,  so  legitimate 
and  so  humbly  sought  after,  He  does  not 
find :  "  Consolantem  me  quaesivi  et  non  in- 
venil — And  I  looked  for  one  that  would 
comfort  me,  and  I  found  none !  "  This  dis 
appointment  was  for  Jesus'  Heart  what  the 
draught  of  biting  vinegar  and  the  bitter  gall 
were  to  His  parched  lips  and  mouth :  "  De- 
derunt  in  escam  meam  fel,  ct  in  siti  me  a  po- 
taverunt  me  aveto! — They  gave  me  gall  for 


Tenth  Day.  151 

my  food,  and  in  my  thirst  they  gave  me  vine 
gar  to  drink!"  (1) 

The  Heart  of  the  Saviour  is  too  generous, 
too  disinterested  to  desire  the  Apostles  to 
watch  and  pray  only  on  His  account.  He 
was  seeking  their  own  most  sacred  interests, 
their  victory  over  the  most  formidable  temp 
tations,  their  perseverance  in  faith.  The 
capture  of  their  Divine  Master,  the  chaining 
of  His  power,  which  has  suddenly  become 
inert,  the  insolent  triumph  of  His  enemies 
were  to  be  for  them  a  terrible  occasion  of 
scandal  and  ruin.  Satan,  who  had  asked  to 
sift  them,  is  now  about  to  rain  blows  upon 
them.  When  Jesus,  His  hands  bound,  will 
have  been  led  away  to  malicious  and  per 
fidious  tribunals,  they  will  be  alone,  the  "  dis 
persed  sheep  of  the  Shepherd  that  has  been 
struck." 

Humble,  prolonged,  persevering  prayer, 
united  to  that  of  their  Master,  vivified  and 
perfected  by  it,  can  alone  strengthen  them 
against  the  furious  assaults  of  those  temp 
tations.  Ah !  "  Watch  and  pray  that  ye 
enter  not  into  temptation !  Reckon  not  on 
the  impulse  of  the  spirit,  ready  to  promise. 

(I)      Ps.  Ixviii,  22. 


152     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

but  inflated  by  presumption.  Fear  the  flesh 
subject  to  weakness  and  drawing  the  spirit 
downward  in  its  fall !  "  And  how  He  in 
sisted  when  care  for  their  safety,  which  He 
knew  depended  on  the  prolonging  of  their 
watching  and  the  earnestness  of  their 
prayer,  snatched  Him  from  His  own  agony, 
and  led  Him  back  to  them :  "  What,  sleep 
ing  still  ?  Arise !  Pray,  lest  ye  yield  to 
temptation !  " 

Thus,  for  His  own  sake  and  for  theirs, 
the  Saviour  called  upon  His  followers  to 
pass  with  Him  a  part  of  that  frightful  night 
of  His  Passion  in  prolonged  watching  and 
prayer. 

REPARATION. 

Four  elements  unchained  in  the  tempest 
against  the  Saviour,  had  penetrated  His 
Heart,  breaking  and  crushing  It  in  their 
fury.  The  Gospel  names  them,  and  it  is 
sufficient  to  recall  them  to  have  some  idea  of 
the  frightful  agony  of  the  Sacred  Heart  dur 
ing  this  prayer,  which  they  transformed  into 
a  bloody  sacrifice,  into  a  consuming  holo 
caust.  As  His  sadness  was,  as  He  says 
Himself,  "  even  unto  death,"  the  paroxysms 
of  fear,  weariness,  and  disgust  that  seized 


Tenth  Day.  153 

Him  were  capable  of  causing  death.  Their 
attacks  were  mortal,  and  would  really  have 
cut  short  His  life  had  not  the  superhuman 
effort  of  His  will  and  the  special  assistance 
of  the  Divinity  preserved  it :  "  Tristis  est 
anima  me  a  usque  ad  mortem — My  soul  is 
sorrowful  unto  death." 

He  was  attacked  by  fear :  (f  Coepit  pa- 
vere — He  began  to  be  afraid."  Anxiety, 
disquietude,  fright,  terror  seized  upon  His 
soul,  agitating  and  crushing  Him  before  His 
Father's  angry  countenance.  He  found 
that  beloved  Father  implacably  exacting  all 
the  horrors  of  His  Passion  and  death,  be 
fore  restoring  Him  to  His  friendship  and 
granting  Him  the  salvation  of  the  world. 

He  was  seized  by  sadness :  "  Coepit  con- 
tristari — He  began  to  be  sad  "  when  He  saw 
the  inevitable  necessity  of  suffering  those 
evils.  Black,  deep,  frozen,  like  a  bottom 
less  abyss  whose  waters  madly  rose  to  over 
whelm,  to  engulf  Him  without  chance  of  es 
cape, — such  was  the  sadness  that  rilled  the 
Sacred  Heart  at  that  dread  moment. 

He  was  attacked  by  weariness :  ff  Coepit 
taedere — He  began  to  be  heavy."  Blind 
ing  Him  as  with  a  thick  veil,  weariness  of 
soul  weighed  heavily  upon  His  will,  stifling 


154     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

hope,  nullifying  effort,  and  annihilating 
courage. 

Lastly,  disgust  filled  the  soul  of  our  agon 
izing  Savionr :  "  Coepit  moestus  esse — He 
began  to  feel  disgust."  The  humiliating 
bitterness  arising  from  the  deception,  the 
perfidy,  the  betrayal,  the  indifference,  and 
abandonment  of  His  own  made  His  Heart 
sick.  It  heaved  within  His  Sacred  Breast 
and  melted  like  water. 

Now,  these  terrors,  this  sadness,  weari 
ness,  and  disgust  sprang  from  the  necessity 
to  drink  the  chalice  presented  Him,  and 
which  His  Father  refused  to  remove  from 
His  lips.  And  what  did  this  chalice  of  the 
divine  wrath  contain?  All  the  sins  of  the 
world,  even  the  most  horrible,  the  most 
filthy — all  were  placed  upon  Him  that  He 
might  expiate  them.  He  had  to  endure  all 
the  chastisements  that  they  merited  and  all 
the  evils  by  which  God's  wrath  is  pourej 
out  upon  the  sinner.  The  ignominy,  the 
violence,  the  iniquity,  and  the  sufferings  of 
the  Passion — death  upon  the  accursed  Cross 
in  total  abandonment  of  God  and  men — all 
are  before  him.  And  still  more,  the  im 
measurable  sorrow  of  His  innocent  and 
much  loved  Mother  fell  upon  His  Heart 


Tenth  Day.  155 

along  with  the  knowledge  of  the  utter  use- 
lessness  of  His  sufferings  for  so  large  a 
number  of  ungrateful  creatures,  who  ob 
stinately  refused  the  salvation  they  were  to 
purchase  for  them. 

It  was  in  this  struggle,  this  prayer  so  sor 
rowful  and  crucifying,  that  the  Saviour 
persevered  for  long  hours,  and  which  Ha 
prolonged  in  proportion  as  it  became  more 
painful:  "  Factus  in  agonia,  prolixius 
orabat— Being  in  agony,  He  prayed  the 
longer."  He  prayed  the  longer,  because 
persevering  prayer  alone  is  heard.  And, 
in  effect,  He  did  obtain,  with  strength  to 
overcome  all  torments  by  His  patience, 
God's  pardon  for  sinners,  the  salvation  of 
the  world,  the  resurrection  of  His  Body, 
and  the  glory  of  His  eternal  reign. 

PETITION. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  though  noc 
turnal  prayer  as  practised  in  all  ages  of  the 
Church  by  her  canons  and  religious,  draws 
one  of  its  greatest  powers  of  praise,  repara 
tion,  and  intercession  from  the  prayer  of 
Christ  in  Gethsemani,  yet  the  prayer  here 
demanded  by  the  Sacramental  Christ  not 
ably  differs  from  it  as  to  form  and  spirit. 


156     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jems. 

It  is  a  new  fruit  of  this  garden  of  prayer, 
fertilized  by  the  Blood  of  the  Agony,  vivi 
fied  forever  by  the  breath  of  the  prolonged 
supplication  of  the  Saviour  floating  through 
the  olive  trees.     Instead  of    vocal    prayer, 
what  the  Master  of  every  form  of  prayer 
here  demands,  is  mental    prayer,    interior 
prayer,    silent    contemplation.     Instead    of 
the  various  liturgical  attitudes  observed  in 
public  prayer,   it   is   the   imitation   of   His 
humiliated  posture,  the  kneeling,  the  pro 
longed  prostration  with  the  face  against  the 
earth.     It  is  not  praise  of  the  perfections 
and  benefits  of  God,  but  the  spiritual  par 
ticipation  in  the  sadness,  in  the  abandon 
ment  of  the  Son  of  God  made  Man  and  the 
Victim  of  men.     It  is  communion  by  com 
passionate  love  with  Christ  agonizing.     It 
is  the  apostolate  of  charity  for  sinners  by 
prayer  and  reparation,  offered  for  them  in 
union  with  the  Divine  Priest,  who  continues 
on  the  altar  to  present  to  His  Father  the 
supplications,   tears,   and   blood   which   He 
shed  for  them  as  well  in  Gethsemani  as  on 
Calvary.     It  is,  in  fine,  every  prayer  made 
at  the  foot  of  the  altar  in  presence  of  the 
Sacred    Victim,    in    order    to    honor    that 
Presence  and  to  render  our  own  prayer  ef- 


Tenth  Day.  157 

fectual,  to  console  the  Heart  of  Him, 
"  whose  delights  are  to  be  with  the  children 
of  men,"  and  to  petition  for  those  that  have 
the  most  need  of  His  mercy. 

Is  not  all  this  the  Nocturnal  Adoration, 
the  prayer  of  the  night,  to  which,  interrupt 
ing  their  repose,  religious  in  their  cloisters, 
priests  and  men  and  women  of  the  world  in 
their  parish  churches,  give  themselves  up 
prostrate  or  kneeling?  They  unite  by  medi 
tation,  by  silent  contemplation,  by  loving 
colloquies,  with  the  prayer  which  the  Agon 
izing  One  of  the  Garden,  the  annihilated 
Christ  of  the  Eucharist,  still  continues  be 
fore  their  eyes. 

O  all  ye  who  believe  in  Him,  hearken  to 
the  call  which  the  Sacred  Heart  makes  to 
you  for  Nocturnal  Adoration!  Arise! 
Leave  your  couch  unhesitatingly,  and  sac 
rifice  to  Him  your  repose !  Watch  with 
Him !  Combat  courageously  the  attacks  of 
sleep,  torpor  of  the  mental  faculties,  and 
comfortable  positions  that  favor  it.  Let  us 
prostrate  before  Him !  Let  us  kneel  as  long 
as  possible  at  His  side,  uniting  our  adora 
tion  to  His,  for  He  is  both  the  God  whom 
we  adore,  and  the  only  perfect  Adorer  by 
whom  we  can  adore  Him  as  we  should ! 


158     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Let  us  obey  His  teachings,  let  us  detest 
sin,  first,  in  ourselves  by  rousing  in  our  soul 
something  of  the  horror  that  He  feels  on 
account  of  the  injury  it  does  to  God  His 
Father  and  to  the  souls  of  His  brethren. 
Then  let  us  appease  the  divine  anger  by  our 
tears  and  supplications,  our  sentiments  of 
reparation  and  penitence  while  begging  par 
don  for  sinners. 

Let  us  by  an  attentive,  earnest,  and  com 
passionate  consideration,  try  to  compre 
hend  in  some  degree  the  terror,  sadness, 
weariness,  disgust,  which  filled  the  Sacred 
Heart  in  Gethsemani,  and  which  are  still  so 
fresh  in  His  memory,  since  men  are  con 
stantly  renewing  them  by  their  manifold  of 
fences. 

Then  let  us  earnestly  pray  for  ourselves 
that  we  may  not  fall  into  temptation,  into  the 
temptation  of  infidelity  to  the  duties  of  our 
state,  into  the  temptation  of  the  pleasures  of 
the  world  and  of  the  flesh,  into  the  tempta 
tion  of  discouragement  in  our  pains  and 
trials,  into  the  temptation  of  apostasy  from 
our  faith  when  confronted  with  persecution. 
Like  Jesus,  let  us  pray  for  strength  to  de 
sire  the  will  of  God,  whatever  it  may  be.  Let 
us  ask  this  for  ourselves  and  our  loved  ones 


Tenth  Day.  159 

in  sickness,  misfortune,  abandonment,  and 
death.  If  while  making  this  prayer,  while 
in  the  actual  Presence  of  God  in  the  Eucha 
rist,  and  at  the  moment  in  which  He  is  lis 
tening  to  it,  our  soul  should  fall  into  the 
agony  of  disquietude,  weariness,  disgust  or 
sadness,  let  us  press  close  to  the  Agonizing 
One,  who  was  weighed  down  by  all  these  af 
flictions  even  unto  death.  Let  us  persevere, 
let  us  go  on  with  our  prayer,  satisfied  to 
repeat  after  Him  and  with  Him  in  our  heart 
or  with  our  lips :  "  Vcrumtamen,  non  mea, 
sed  tua  vohmtas  fiat! — Nevertheless,  not  my 
will,  but  Thine  be  done !  " 

Ah,  yes !  Jesus'  prayer  in  the  Garden  on 
the  night  of  His  Passion  is  the  reason  for 
the  invitation,  the  example,  and  the  grace, 
the  justification  and  the  pledge  of  success  of 
Nocturnal  Adoration. 

May  its  remembrance  always  accompany 
and  sustain  us  there:  " Sustinete  hie  et 
vigilate  mecum! — Stay  ye  here  and  watch 
with  me !  " 

Let  your  visits  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
be  more  frequent  and  fervent. 

Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus,  solace  in  our 
exile,  give  peace  to  the  Church. 

(50  days'  Indulgence.) 


Eleventb 

THE  WOUND  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART. 

IF  there  is  in  the  history  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  one  fact  of  supreme  prominence,  it 
is  that  of  the  thrust  of  the  soldier's  lance 
that  was  buried  in  the  Side  of  the  dead  Re 
deemer.  In  the  worship  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  consequently,  what  most  rouses  the 
ardent  faith  of  him  who  contemplates  It, 
what  most  excites  the  compassion  of  the 
tender  soul,  is  this  Wound.  When  reveal 
ing  His  Heart,  the  Divine  Master  always 
shows  It  open  like  the  hospitable  door  of 
an  asylum  or  sanctuary,  like  the  orifice  of  a 
gushing  stream,  like  the  hearth  of  a  burning 
furnace.  "One  day/'  says  Blessed  Mar 
garet  Mary,  "  the  Divine  Heart  was  shown 
me  on  a  throne  of  fire  and  flames,  emitting 
rays  on  all  sides,  more  brilliant  than  the  sun 
and  transparent  as  crystal.  The  Wound 
that  It  had  received  on  the  Cross  was  strik 
ingly  visible." 

The  subject  of  this  adoration  will  be  the 
reality  of  this  Sacred  Wound;  the  thanks- 
160 


Eleventh  Day.  161 

giving,  the  love  that  It  shows  to  us;  the 
reparation,  the  sin  that  caused  It;  the  peti 
tion,  the  fruits  that  we  ought  to  derive  from 
It. 

ADORATION. 

The  following  passage  from  the  Gospel 
of  St.  John  insures  to  us  the  right  to  recog 
nize  and  adore  the  Wound  of  the  Sacred 
Heart: 

"  Jesus,  therefore,  when  He  had  taken 
the  vinegar,  said:  It  is  consummated. 
And  bowing  His  head,  He  gave  up  the 
ghost.  Then  the  Jews  (because  it  was  the 
parasceve)  that  the  bodies  might  not  re 
main  upon  the  cross  on  the  Sabbath-day 
(for  that  was  a  great  Sabbath-day)  be 
sought  Pilate  that  their  legs  might  be 
broken,  and  that  they  might  be  taken  away. 
The  soldiers  therefore  came :  and  they  broke 
the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  that 
was  crucified  with  Him.  But  after  they 
were  come  to  Jesus,  when  they  saw  that  He 
was  already  dead,  they  did  not  break  His 
legs.  But  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear 
opened  His  side,  and  immediately  there 
came  out  blood  and  water"  (1). 


(1)     John  xix,  30-34. 


162     The  En  char  is  tic  Heart  of  ] 


csns. 


From  the  foregoing  words  we  may  posi 
tively  believe  that  the  Side  of  Jesus  was 
pierced  by  the  thrust  of  a  lance.  It  appears, 
moreover,  indubitable  that  that  same  blow 
transpierced  the  Heart,  also,  of  the  Divine 
Crucified.  The  Evangelist  does  not  say  so 
in  precise  terms,  but  reason  and  authority 
combine  to  make  this  assertion  absolutely 
incontestable. 

First,  reason  tells  us  so.  It  is  very  prob 
able  that  the  soldier,  either  to  assure  him 
self  that  the  Christ  was  really  dead,  or  to 
give  Him  the  final  death-stroke,  designedly 
drove  his  lance  into  the  very  Heart  of 
Jesus.  The  Wound  of  the  Side,  moreover, 
was  so  large,  so  deep,  that  one  might  easily 
thrust  his  hand  into  It,  as  St.  Thomas  did 
on  the  invitation  of  the  risen  Redeemer. 
Such  a  wound  could  not  have  been  dug  in 
the  breast  without  transpiercing  the  Heart. 
Again,  the  abundant  flow  of  blood  and  water 
which  spouted  out  under  that  blow,  proves 
that  the  Heart  had  been  struck;  for  the 
Heart  is  the  source  of  the  blood.  It  alone 
could  still  retain  some  after  the  other  mem 
bers  of  the  body  had  shed  theirs  by  the 
wounds  of  the  scourging  and  the  Cruci 
fixion.  Again,  Christ  willed  that  His  Heart 


Eleventh  Day.  163 

should  be  wounded  that  it  might  be  appar 
ent  with  what  love  He  regarded  His  Church, 
to  whom  He  says  with  so  much  tenderness : 
"  Thou  hast  wounded  My  Heart,  O  My 
well-beloved  Spouse !  "  Lastly,  it  is  evi 
dent  that  this  Wound  of  His  Side  had  a 
mystical  relation  with  His  Heart.  Christ 
willed  that  It  should  be  the  open  gate  which, 
revealing  to  us  His  Heart,  should  afford  us 
an  assured  entrance  into  It. 

Secondly,  the  weight  of  authority  is 
added  to  reason.  In  the  Decree  of  Beati 
fication  of  Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  Pius  IX 
thus  expressed  himself :  "  Who,  then,  will 
be  so  hard,  so  insensible,  as  not  to  be  forced 
to  return  love  for  love  to  this  most  sweet 
Heart,  which  was  wounded,  transpierced  by 
a  lance,  in  order  that  our  soul  might  find  in 
It  a  refuge,  a  secure  asylum  from  the  pur 
suit,  from  the  deceits  of  its  enemies:  Cor 
illud  suavissimum  idcirco  transfixum  et  vul- 
neratum  lanced?  "  This  Decree  repeats  the 
tender,  the  burning  words  of  St.  Augus 
tine,  of  St.  Bernard,  of  St.  Bonaventure  on 
the  mysterious  opening  of  the  Side  of  the 
Saviour,  which  calls  to  us  to  enter  into  His 
Heart,  to  abide  therein,  to  live  and  to  die 
therein. 


164     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

To  unfold  to  the  eyes  of  faith  the  full 
reality  of  the  Wound  of  the  Sacred  Heart, 
we  add  that  the  Blood  and  water,  though 
issuing  from  It  at  the  same  moment,  did  so 
without  mixing  with  each  other.  The 
Blood  was  substantially  blood;  the  water, 
pure  and  natural,  with  no  foreign  tinge 
whatever.  That  Blood  was  miraculously 
preserved  and  that  water  miraculously 
formed  in  the  Sacred  Heart  Itself.  It  wa's 
by  a  miracle,  also,  that  they  streamed  forth 
instantaneously  and  abundantly  under  the 
stroke  of  the  lance,  and  yet  without  min 
gling. 

The  Saviour  willed,  likewise,  that  this 
Wound  should  remain  open  in  His  resusci 
tated  Body,  not  like  the  scar  of  a  wound 
badly  closed,  not  painful  to  look  upon  as 
it  was  in  the  Side  of  the  Christ  dead  upon 
the  Cross,  but  wonderfully  harmonizing 
with  the  beauty  of  His  glorified  Humanity. 
It  was  shining  with  light,  or,  as  St.  Ber 
nard  says,  It  was  "the  most  beautiful  of 
the  five  roses  that  expanded  upon  the  fruit 
ful  stem  of  our  most  sweet  Saviour,  by  the 
heat  of  His  ardent  love :  Intuere  et  respice 
rosam  Passionis  sanguineae,  quomodo  rubet 


Eleventh  Day.  165 

in   indicium   ardentissimae   charitatis "  (1) . 

Let  us,  then,  approach  with  respect  the 
Saviour  who,  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacra 
ment,  presents  to  our  adoration  this  Sacred 
Wound,  so  authentic,  so  profound,  so  last 
ing.  A  living  memorial  of  the  past,  It  is 
in  the  present  a  powerful  centre  of  action, 
and  the  sure  guarantee  of  the  eternal  future. 
It  repeats  to  us  with  open  lips  not  only  all 
the  sufferings,  but  all  the  love  of  Our  Sav 
iour's  death.  It  continues,  It  untiringly  per 
fects  in  our  behalf  the  work  of  Its  Redemp 
tion.  It  proclaims  that  heaven  is  open  to 
all  who  raise  a  sincere  and  suppliant  glance 
to  "  Him  whom  they  have  transpierced :  Et 
adspicient  ad  quern  confixerunt"  (2). 

"  One  day,"  says  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary,  "  the  Blessed  Sacrament  being  ex 
posed,  Jesus  Christ,  my  Divine  Master,  pre 
sented  Himself  to  me,  radiant  with  glory, 
His  five  Wounds  brilliant  as  so  many  suns. 
From  all  parts  of  His  Sacred  Humanity, 
there  issued  flames,  above  all,  from  His 
sacred  breast,  which  resembled  a  furnace. 
Opening  it,  He  showed  me  His  Divine 
Heart,  the  burning  centre  of  those  flames." 

(1)  Ex.  Off.,  Quinque   Vulnemm,  Led.  IV. 

(2)  Zach.  xii,  10. 


166     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

THANKSGIVING. 

Love,  supreme  love,  which  the  Wound  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  so  plainly  manifests,  calls 
for  our  gratitude.  One  of  the  principal 
reasons  that  led  the  Son  of  God  to  allow 
His  Heart  to  be  wounded  was,  that  it  might 
serve  as  an  unmistakable  sign,  as  an  authen 
tic  seal  of  His  love  for  men. 

The  Sacred  Wound,  chaining  the  atten 
tion  to  the  Heart  of  the  Saviour,  proclaims 
that  it  is  from  that  Heart,  that  is,  from  His 
love,  proceeds  all  the  self-sacrifice  of  His 
life,  whether  in  sentiments  of  tenderness, 
pity,  and  mercy,  in  words  of  instruction 
and  consolation,  or  in  works  of  healing  and 
conversion.  From  It,  also,  came  forth  all 
the  sufferings  embraced  and  supported  even 
to  the  end  of  His  Passion.  From  It,  in 
fine,  originated  that  death  undergone  upon 
the  accursed  Cross  for  the  expiation  of  sin 
and  the  liquidation  of  its  insolvent  obliga 
tions,  for  the  satisfaction  of  Divine  Jus 
tice,  and  for  the  reconciliation  of  Divine 
Mercy  with  mankind  repentant  and  for 
given.  "Behold,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "the 
secret  of  the  Sacred  Heart  revealed  by  the 
wounds  opened  in  the  Saviour's  flesh!  Be- 


Eleventh  Day.  167 

hold  the  grand  mystery  of  Divine  Goodness 
laid  bare  !  Behold  the  bowels  of  mercy  dis 
closed  to  view  !  Patet  arcanum  Cordis  per 
foramina  corporis;  patet  magnum  pietatis 
sacramentum;  patent  viscera  misericor- 


"  By  allowing  His  Heart  to  be  pierced 
after  His  death,  the  Divine  Master  disclosed 
both  the  supreme  gift  of  His  Heart  and  the 
supreme  proof  of  His  love.  While  still 
alive,  He  had  delivered  His  head  to  thorns, 
His  shoulders  to  the  scourges,  His  hands 
and  feet  to  the  nails.  His  Heart  alone,  al 
though  It  had  cruelly  suffered  from  all  Its 
effusions  of  blood,  had  escaped  without  a 
direct  bruise,  without  a  wound  dug  in  Its 
very  substance.  That  He  might  not  appear 
reluctant  to  deliver  for  our  salvation  the 
most  noble  organ  of  His  Sacred  Body, 
Christ  offered  His  Heart  to  be  transpierced 
by  the  thrust  of  the  soldier's  lance  "(2). 
He  testified  thereby  that  He  truly  loved  us 
to  the  end:  In  fineni  —  to  the  end  of  His 
life,  even  unto  death,  yes,  and  beyond  death. 

(1)  Serm.  Ixi,  4. 

(2)  Fr.  Lucas  Brug,  in  Joan.  xix. 


168     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

It  is  the  excess,  the  superabundance,  of  the 
evidences  of  His  love ! 

That  Wound  is,  also,  the  authentic  seal 
of  God's  reconciliation  with  us,  the  proof 
that  having  banished  us  from  His  Heart  as 
well  as  from  Paradise,  He  has  now  restored 
to  us  both  the  one  and  the  other.  The  lance 
of  the  soldier  opened  and  holds  open  the 
gate  that  the  archangel's  flaming  sword 
kept  closed.  "  Behold !  "  exclaims  St.  Ber 
nard,  "  the  gate  of  Paradise  reopened  and 
the  fiery  sword  thrust  aside  by  the  bloody 
lance!  Behold  the  Tree  of  Life  pierced 
not  only  in  Its  branches,  but  in  Its  very 
core!  Behold  the  treasure  of  eternal  love 
opened!  Enter,  then,  those  large  openings 
of  the  Sacred  Wounds:  Ecce  aperta  est 
janua  Paradisi  et  per  lane  earn  militis  gladius 
versatilis  est  amotus!  Ecce  Lignum  vitae 
tarn  in  ramis  quam  in  stipite  perforatum! 
Ecce  apertus  est  thesaurus  ckaritatis  ceterncs! 
Intra  per  vulnerum  aperturam!"(l) 

Will  not  such  love  open  our  heart  with 
its  fiery  flame,  as  did  the  lance  the  Heart  of 
Jesus,  that  tears  of  tender  love,  of  grateful 
love,  may  gush  from  it,  which,  mingling 


(1)   Stim.  div.  Am.  PI.  c.l. 


Eleventh  Day.  169 

with  His  Blood  and  with  His  love,  may  per 
fect  in  us  the  Saviour's  Passion?  It  is  this 
return  that  Jesus  expects  from  us:  ff  Ads- 
picient  ad  quern  confixerunt  et  dolebunt 
super  eum  ut  doleri  solet  in  morte  primo- 
genti! — They  shall  look  upon  Me  whom 
they  have  pierced:  and  they  shall  mourn 
for  Him  as  one  mourneth  for  an  only  son, 
and  they  shall  grieve  over  Him,  as  the  man 
ner  is  to  grieve  for  the  death  of  the  first 
born  "(1). 

One  day,  when  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
to  overcome  her  natural  repugnance,  had 
performed  an  heroic  act  toward  a  sick  per 
son  seized  with  vomiting,  Our  Lord  testified 
the  pleasure  that  she  had  afforded  Him. 
"  The  following  night,"  she  tells  us,  "  for 
about  two  or  three  hours,  He  kept  my  lips 
pressed  upon  the  Wound  of  His  Sacred 
Heart.  It  would  be  very  hard  to  express 
what  I  then  experienced,  or  the  effects  that 
favor  produced  in  my  soul  and  in  my  heart.'' 

REPARATION. 

Sin,  alas !  is  at  the  root  of  the  great  fact 
of  the  transfixion  of  the  Sacred  Heart, 

(1)  Zach.  xii,  10. 


170     The  Eucharistic  Heatt  of  Jesus. 

which   fact,   however,   Its  love   transforms 
for  us  into  benefit. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  real  crime  on  the  part  of 
the  soldier,  who  exhibited  as  much  contempt 
as  ferocity  toward  the  Divine  Condemned. 
Even    while    executing   the   orders   of   the 
civilized  rules  of  pagan  Rome,  it  was  his 
own  innate  cruelty  that  urged  the  barbarous 
soldier  to  deal  as  heavy  a  blow  on  the  limbs 
of  the   Saviour  as  upon  those  of  the  two 
thieves.     But  finding  Christ  dead,  he  vented 
his  disappointment  and  rage  by  driving  the 
iron  of  his  lance  into  His  Heart.     He  was 
fully  aware  of  the  uselessness  of  that  proof 
of  the  Saviour's  death.     He  meant  it  as  a 
supreme    insult    to    the    Condemned    upon 
whom,  from  the  very  beginning  of  His  Pas 
sion,  gratuitous  outrages  had  been  heaped, 
to  the  exclusion    of    those    guarantees     by 
which   the    law   protects   both   the   accused 
and  the  condemned.    He  wished,  moreover, 
to  please  the  High  Priests  who  had  hired 
him,  and  whose  imperious  eyes  were  upon 
him. 

It  was,  however,  the  infinite  malice  of 
our  own  sins  that  nerved  the  arm  of  the 
soldier  and  urged  him  to  commit  the  crime. 
It  exacted  this  expiation  of  the  Holy  Vic- 


Eleventh  Day.  171 

tim,  who  willingly  took  upon  Himself  its 
responsiblity.  The  seat  of  sin  is,  then,  in 
the  heart  of  man,  in  the  disorderly  prefer 
ence  that  he  gives  to  the  creature  above  the 
Creator,  in  the  outrageous  abandonment  in 
which  he  leaves  his  God  in  order  to  give 
Himself  up  to  the  depraved  pleasures  in 
which  he  seeks  his  delight  and  happiness 
instead  of  placing  them  in  the  Infinite  Good. 
Now,  the  Lord,  who  looks  at  the  heart  in 
order  to  recompense  the  intention  which 
prompts  the  good  action,  pursues  sin  even 
to  its  primitive  source  by  striking  that  heart : 
"  Dominus  intuetur  cor — The  Lord  be- 
holdeth  the  heart "  (1).  Let,  then,  the 
Heart  of  this  Man,  this  Substitute  for  all 
mankind,  His  brethren,  to  pay  their  debt  of 
sin  and  to  expiate  its  malice  by  submitting 
to  its  chastisement,  be  struck  and  broken! 
The  divine  wrath  will  be  appeased  only 
when  it  can  fall  upon  this  Heart  truly 
broken  by  the  most  humiliating  blows :  "  Ad 
quern  respiciam  nisi  ad  pauper culum  et  con- 
tritum  spiritu? — To  whom  shall  I  have  re 
spect  but  to  him  that  is  poor  and  little  and 
of  a  contrite  spirit?  "(2)  See,  now,  why  the 

(1)  Reg.  xvi,  7. 

(2)  Is.  Ixvi,  2. 


172     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Heart  of  Jesus  which,  during  His  whole 
life,  and  still  more  during  His  agony  in  the 
Garden,  had  been  troubled  and  wounded  by 
a  thousand  spiritual  swords  of  terror,  sad 
ness,  disgust,  deep  humiliation,  the  treason 
of  the  cold  indifference  of  His  own,  and 
lastly,  by  the  pitiless  abandonment  of  His 
Father,— behold  why  It  should  be  trans 
pierced  by  the  point  of  the  lance.  It  was 
the  ransom  of  sin  rated  upon  the  human 
heart. 

The  sword  of  grief,  prolonging  even  to 
ourselves  the  sharp  point  of  the  lance  that 
transpierced  the  Heart  of  Jesus, — will  it 
not  cleave  our  hearts  of  granite  and  draw 
from  us  tears  of  sorrow  over  the  Innocent 
One  whom  we  have  literally  covered  with 
wounds?  " Adspicient  ad  quern  confix  e- 
runt  et  plangent  planctu  quasi  super  unigeni- 
tum — They  shall  look  upon  him  whom  they 
have  pierced,  and  they  shall  grieve  over  him 
as  the  manner  is  to  grieve  for  the  death  of 
the  first-born  "(1).  But  if,  indifferent  to  the 
chastisements  that  He  once  underwent  for 
us,  we  continue  to  strike  Him  daily  new 
blows,  what  will  be  our  attitude  when  this 

(1)  Zach.  xii,  10. 


Eleventh  Day.  173 

Crucified  Redeemer,  coming  in  His  majesty 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  shall  display  His 
Wounds  before  the  eyes  of  them  that  pierced 
Him,  without  their  being  able  to  flee  from 
the  terrible  sight?  " Ecce  venit  cum  nubi- 
bus  et  videbit  eum  omnis  oculus  et  qui  eum 
pupugerunt — Behold  He  cometh  with  the 
clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  see  Him,  and 
they  also  that  piereced  Him  "(I.)-  Then 
will  this  open  Wound,  transformed  into  a 
mouth  of  fury,  cry  for  vengeance  against 
us,  and  will  command  the  infernal  flames, 
penetrating  and  devouring,  to  torture  us  for 
all  eternity! 

"  One  day,"  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  heard  the  voice  of 
my  Saviour,  saying:  'My  chosen  people 
persecute  Me  in  secret,  and  they  have  irri 
tated  My  justice.  But  I  shall  manifest 
these  secret  sins  by  visible  chastisements, 
for  I  shall  sift  them  in  the  sieve  of  My 
sanctity,  in  order  to  separate  them  from  My 
well-beloved.  Having  separated  them,  I 
shall  surround  them  with  that  same  sanc 
tity,  which  comes  between  the  sinner  and 
My  mercy.  And  when  My  holiness  has 


(1)  Apoc.  i,  7. 
13 


174     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

once  environed  the  sinner,  it  is  impossible 
for  him  to  know  himself.  His  conscience 
continues  without  remorse,  his  understand 
ing  without  light,  his  heart  without  contri 
tion,  and  at  last  he  dies  in  his  blindness ! ' 
Discovering  to  me  afterward  His  loving 
Heart,  all  torn  and  transpierced  with  blows, 
He  said :  '  Behold  the  wounds  that  I  re 
ceived  from  My  chosen  people!  Others 
were  satisfied  with  striking  My  person,  but 
they  have  attacked  My  Heart,  which  has 
never  ceased  to  love  them ! ' ' 

PETITION. 

The  fruits  of  the  transfixion  St.  Bona- 
venture  shows  in  Christ  transpierced 
by  the  lance  upon  the  Cross,  "  the 
Tree  of  Life  gashed  in  Its  branches  and  in 
Its  Trunk :  Ecce  lignum  vitae  tarn  in  ramis 
quam  in  stipite  perforation."  As  they 
pierce  aromatic  trees  in  order  to  gather 
their  precious  liquor,  so  shall  we  gather  in 
our  heart  near  the  Divine  Crucified  by  at 
tentive,  confident,  and  humble  prayer,  the 
odoriferous  oils  of  grace  which  flow  from 
the  Wound  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

At  first,  it  is  the  salutary  bruising  of  the 
heart,  holy  contrition,  the  frequenting  of  the 


Eleventh  Day.  175 

piscina  of  Penance,  filled  with  the  waves  of 
lustral  water  that  jet  from  the  transpierced 
Heart;  then  it  is  the  holy  habit  of  assidu 
ously  drinking  from  the  Eucharistic  Chalice 
the  virginal  Blood,  the  repairing  Blood, 
whose  last  drops  reddened  as  they  fell  to  the 
earth  of  Calvary,  and  reanimated  for  the 
resurrection  the  bones,  long  dried  up,  of  the 
first  sinners. 

Later  on,  it  is  the  knowledge  of  Jesus 
Christ,  of  His  mysteries,  His  love,  His 
spirit,  gained  by  contact  with  His  Heart.  On 
the  morrow  of  the  Resurrection,  Thomas, 
having  lost  faith  and  hope,  had  fallen  into 
discouragement,  which  led  to  denial  and 
apostasy.  But  he  recognized  Jesus,  "  his 
Lord  and  his  God,"  as  soon  as  he  had 
plunged  his  hand  through  the  Breast  of  the 
Saviour  into  His  open  Heart,  burning  with 
love  and  palpitating  with  tender  pity.  Let 
us  do  the  same.  In  our  doubts,  our  cold 
ness,  our  sadness  and  weakness,  let  us  touch 
the  Heart  of  Jesus  by  a  look  of  faith,  a  cry 
of  hope,  a  dart  of  love,  an  act  of  humility, 
and  we  shall  soon  find  our  Saviour  and  our 
God :  "  Do  minus  meus  et  Deus  meus! " 

Another  fruit,  in  fine,  is  supernatural  con 
solation  in  our  trials.  This  consolation  ap- 


176     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

plies  the  true  remedy,  which  is  composed  of 
the  sufferings  of  Jesus,  the  most  cruel  and 
the  most  numerous  that  can  attack  any  heart 
here  below.  In  it  He  has  mingled  His 
purity,  His  love,  His  strength,  His  humility, 
His  obedience,  and  His  patience,  with  His 
indefectible  hope.  Wounds  against  Wound! 
Let  our  torn  and  broken  hearts  adapt  them 
selves  by  their  very  wounds  to  the  Heart 
of  Jesus  Christ  so  deeply  transpierced.  He 
there  pours  out  His  virtues  with  the  price 
of  His  victories.  There,  above  all,  He  pours 
forth  His  love,  and  "  love  is  strong  as  death 
itself !  "  Ah  !  let  us,  then,  cast  our  bruised 
hearts  into  the  Wound  of  the  transpierced 
Heart !  It  is  blindness  or  cruelty  which  in 
duces  them  to  come  forth  from  It. 

"  There,"  says  St.  Bonaventure,  "  arc 
found  and  dispensed  all  the  balms  that  calm 
and  cure :  Ecce  aperta  est  apotheca  omni 
bus  aroinatibus  plena!" — "O  blessed 
lance,"  continues  the  holy  Doctor,  "  had  I 
been  in  thy  place,  I  should  never  have  come 
forth  from  the  Bosom  of  Jesus!  I  should 
have  exclaimed:  Behold  the  place  of  my 
rest  for  endless  ages!  Here  will  I  remain, 
for  it  is  the  abode  that  I  have  chosen  for 
ever.  O  quam  beata  lancea!  O  si  fuissem 


Eleventh  Day.  177 

loco  illius  lanceae,  exire  de  Chris ti  latere 
noluissem,  sed  dixissem:  Haec  requies  mea 
in  saeculum  saeculi;  hie  habitabo  quoniam 
elegl  eam!"(l) 

Once,  when  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  was 
experiencing  great  interior  disquietude,  it 
seemed  to  her  that  she  heard  a  voice  con 
stantly  warning  her  that  she  was  on  the  edge 
of  a  precipice.  With  great  confidence  she 
thus  addressed  Our  Lord :  "  Thou  only 
Love  of  my  soul,  disclose  to  me  the  cause  of 
this  disquietude !  "  Our  Lord,  all  covered 
with  woundsyimmediately  presented  Himself 
to  her  soul,  and  bade  her  look  upon  the  open 
ing  of  His  Sacred  Side,  which  was  a  fathom 
less  abyss,  dug  by  an  immeasurable  arrow, 
namely,  the  dart  of  love.  He  told  her  that, 
if  she  desired  to  escape  the  unknown  abyss 
which  she  dreaded,  she  must  lose  herself  in 
that  by  which  all  others  are  shunned;  that 
it  was  the  abode  of  those  that  loved ;  that  in 
it  they  found  two  lives,  the  one  for  the  soul, 
the  other  for  the  heart.  The  soul  finds 
therein  the  source  of  living  water  for  its 
purification ;  the  heart  finds  a  furnace  of  love 
which  allows  it  to  live  no  longer  but  by  the 

(1)     Stim.  Div.  Am.  P.  I.  c.  1. 


178     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

life  of  love.  The  one  sanctifies,  the  other 
consumes."  On  another  occasion,  she  tells 
us,  "  My  Divine  Spouse  gave  me  His  Heart 
for  my  asylum,  my  help,  and  my  heavenly 
resting-place  in  the  tempests  of  this  stormy 
sea.  It  is  my  repose,  my  retreat,  my 
strength  in  my  weakness.  When  I  feel  my 
self  laden  with  sufferings  and  sorrows 
caused  by  the  sanctity  of  His  justice,  which 
reduces  me  to  the  point  of  death,  He  says  to 
me :  '  Come,  take  some  rest,  that  thou 
mayest  suffer  more  courageously ! '  I  then 
feel  myself  abyssed  in  this  furnace  of  love 
wherein  I  can  think  of  nothing  save  loving 
Him !  " 

Make     frequent     spiritual     Communions 
during  the  day. 

O  Sweetest  Heart  of  Jesus,  I  implore 
That  I  may  ever  love  Thee  more  and  more. 
(100  days'  Indulgence.) 


TTwelftb 


THE    SACRED    HEART    AND    THE    SORROWS    OF 
MARY. 

SUBJECT.  —  The  sufferings  of  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  during  the  Passion  were  innumerable. 
They  were  not  only  those  that  sprang  from 
mental  anguish  and  physical  pain,  but  those 
that  He  endured  directly  in  His  affections. 
He  suffered  from  the  friends  who  betrayed 
Him,  forsook  and  denied  Him,  and,  above 
all,  was  He  afflicted  by  the  abandonment  of 
His  Divine  Father.  But  there  was  one 
other  pain  not  less  acute,  and  that  was  the 
presence  of  His  most  dear  and  beloved 
Mother,  Mary  most  holy  !  If  her  presence 
was  an  heroic  act  of  fidelity  and,  viewing  it 
from  this  point,  brought  Him  comfort  and 
consolation,  the  Saviour  suffered  infinitely 
from  the  sight  of  the  immense  grief  of  the 
most  innocent  of  mothers,  and  from  the 
knowledge  that  He  Himself  was  the  cause 
of  it.  The  compassion  of  Mary,  in  which 
was  summed  up  all  His  own  sufferings, 
came  only  from  the  Passion  of  Jesus.  If 

179 


180     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

we  can  affirm  that  the  deepest  wound  in  the 
Heart  of  Jesus  is  that  which  was  dug  into 
It  by  the  abandonment  of  His  Father,  we 
need  not  hesitate  to  declare  that  next  to  it 
was  the  sorrow  experienced  at  the  sight  of 
His  holy  Mother  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross. 
This  subject,  which  so  closely  binds  the 
Heart  of  Jesus  with  the  Heart  of  Mary,  both 
transpierced  by  the  sword  of  the  same  sor 
rows,  can  not  be  too  frequently  meditated 
upon  by  souls  truly  devoted  to  the  Sacred 
Heart,  if  they  desire  to  delve  into  Its  pro 
found  secrets. 


ADORATION. 


"  Stabat  juxta  crucem  Jesu  Mater  ejus — 
There  stood  by  the  Cross  of  Jesus  His 
Mother,"  sometimes  a  little  nearer,  some 
times  more  removed,  according  as  the  surg 
ing  of  the  crowd  around  the  Cross  or  the 
caprice  of  the  guards  permitted.  In  either 
position,  she  was  so  placed  as  to  be  seen  by 
Jesus :  "  Cum  vidisset  ergo  Jesus  Matrem 
— When  Jesus,  therefore,  had  seen  His 
Mother  "(1).  He  saw  her  with  His  bodily 
eyes,  and  still  more  did  He  behold  her  with 
the  interior  gaze  of  His  filial  Heart.  In 

(1)     John   xix. 


Twelfth  Day.  181 

this  double  view,  which  enveloped  Mary 
and  penetrated  to  the  depths  of  her  soul,  He 
saw  the  personification  of  sorrow  the  most 
profound  after  His  own.  The  Church,  our 
other  Mother,  so  capable  of  comprehending 
Mary's  grief,  depicts  it  in  strophes  of  deep 
compassion  in  the  Stabat  Mater,  which  we 
can  not  read  without  emotion.  She  is  "  the 
sorrowful  Mother,  plunged  in  tears  at  the 
foot  of  the  gibbet  of  her  Son :  "  Dolorosa, 
lacrymosa" (I)  ;  the  soul  weighed  down 
with  sadness,  wounded,  groaning,  trans 
pierced  with  a  sword  :  "  Animam  gemen- 
tem,  contristatem,  dolentem" (%}.  Ah,  how 
afflicted,  how  agonized  was  the  Blessed 
Mother  of  that  only  Son,  that  unique  Son: 
"  O  quam  tristis  et  afflicta!"(3)  Turning 
to  us,  the  Church  exclaims : 

"  Quis  est  homo  qui  non  Herd, 
Matrem  Christi  si  videret 
In  tanto  supplicio! — 


(1)  Stabat  Mater  dolor osa, 
Juxta  crucem  lacrymosa, 

Dum  pendebat  Filius. 

(2)  Cujus  animam  gementem, 
Constristatem  et  dolentem 

Pcrtransivit  gladius. 

(3)  O  qua  in  tristis  et  aMicta 
Fuit  ilia  benedicta 

Mater   Unigeniti! 
14 


182     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Who  is  the  man  who  would  not  weep 
at  sight  of  the  Mother  of  Jesus  enduring 
punishment  so  terrible?"  If  the  most  de 
graded  of  men,  the  coarsest,  the  most  hard 
hearted,  are  challenged  to  gaze  unmoved  on 
the  untold  sorrows  of  Mary,  what  impres 
sion  must  they  have  produced  upon  her  Son, 
the  most  loving,  the  most  sensitive,  the  most 
delicate  of  all  that  have  ever  appreciated  a 
mother?  It  is  His  own  Blood  that  thrills 
and  dries  up  in  His  Mother's  heart,  His  own 
tears  that  course  hot  or  chill  from  her  eyes. 
He  experiences  all  Mary's  sorrow,  deep, 
wide,  bitter  as  the  sea,  as  if  it  were  His 
own.  Mary's  compassion  is  joined  to  His 
own  Passion  to  redouble  its  sharpness  and 
bitterness. 

He  saw  her  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross  as 
the  prophecy  of  Jeremias  had  described  her 
in  terms  that  burst  like  sobs  from  a  broken 
heart :  "  Weeping  she  hath  wept  in  the 
night,  and  her  tears  are  on  her  cheeks " 
(the  whole  night  of  that  terrible  agony 
which  began  in  Gethsemani,  and  ended  in 
the  horrible  darkness  of  Calvary)  ;  "  there 
is  none  to  comfort  her  among  all  them  that 
were  dear  to  her;  all  her  friends  have  de 
spised  her,  and  have  become  her 


Twelfth  Day.  183 

enemies!  "(1)  John's  fidelity  cannot  make 
her  forget  the  abandonment  of  all  the  others. 
And  it  was  prohibited  Jesus  by  the  avenging 
anger  of  God  to  afford  His  Mother  the  least 
relief,  to  say  to  her  one  word  of  pity  or  con 
solation  ! 

Still  more,  Jesus  had  to  listen  to  these 
sorrowful  lamentations  uttered  by  His 
Mother :  "  O  all  ye  that  pass  by  the  way, 
attend  and  see  if  there  be  any  sorrow  like 
my  sorrow:  for  He  hath  made  a  vintage 
of  me,  as  the  Lord  spoke  in  the  day  of  His 
fierce  anger.  From  above  He  hath  sent  fire 
into  my  bones,  and  hath  chastised  me.  He 
hath  spread  a  net  for  my  feet,  He  hath 
turned  me  back :  He  hath  made  me  desolate, 
wasted  with  sorrow  all  the  day  long.  .  .  . 
My  strength  is  weakened :  the  Lord  hath 
delivered  me  into  a  hand  out  of  which  I  am 
not  able  to  rise.  Therefore  do  I  weep,  and 
my  eyes  run  down  with  tears,  .  .  .  be 
cause  my  children  are  desolate,  be 
cause  the  enemy  hath  prevailed.  .  .  . 
Hear,  I  pray  you,  all  ye  people,  and  see  my 
sorrow :  my  virgins  and  my  young  men  have 
gone  into  captivity  !  "(2)  And  his  Mother 


(1)  Lam.  i,  1-2. 

(2)  Ibid.,   12-18. 


184     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

who  saw  her  Eldest-Born  dying  of  sorrow 
before  her  eyes,  mourned  all  her  other  chil 
dren  buried  in  the  more  lamentable  death  of 
sin. 

In  the  excess  of  her  anguish,  Mary  sent 
forth  to  her  Jesus  a  cry  of  agony  :  "  Be 
hold,  O  Lord,  for  I  am  distressed,  my  bowels 
are  troubled.  My  heart  is  turned  within 
me,  for  I  am  full  of  bitterness:  abroad  the 
sword  (Thy  Cross)  destroyeth  and  at  home, 
it  is  death  alike  "  by  the  share  that  I  take 
in  the  sufferings  of  Thy  Heart  :  "  Foris  in- 
terficit  gladius,  et  dorni  mors  similis 


Behold  what  Jesus  saw,  what  He  heard! 
Behold  into  what  an  abyss  of  pain,  agony, 
and  darkness  He  was  plunged  by  the  anx 
ious  tenderness,  the  devoted  affection, 
the  compassion  of  His  Heart  for  the  best  of 
Mothers  !  Oh,  what  an  increase  of  suffer 
ing  for  this  best  of  Sons  !  Let  it  cease,  O 
Son,  Thou  who  dost  remain  even  in  the 
weakness  of  death,  the  All-Powerful  !  Put 
an  end  to  the  sufferings  of  Thy  Mother! 
Or,  at  least,  console  her  by  a  word,  a  look, 
an  impression  of  relief  in  the  depths  of  her 

(1)  Ibid,  xx,  20. 


Twelfth  Day,  185 

soul  from  Thy  sovereign  power,  which 
holds  souls  in  its  hand  and  acts  in  them  as 
it  wills ! 

But  no  !  It  had  been  decided  in  the  coun 
cil  of  inexorable  justice  that,  in  order  to 
drain  the  chalice  of  filial  suffering  to  the 
very  dregs,  Jesus  should  not  say  one  word 
of  comfort,  should  not  cast  on  her  one  look 
of  pity,  one  smile  of  encouragement.  He 
will  see  her  weighed  down  without  the 
power  of  relieving  her.  He  will  be  con 
demned  to  the  punishment  of  being  able  to 
do  nothing  in  time  of  affliction  for  the  loved 
one.  And  if,  at  last,  He  looks  upon  her 
from  the  height  of  the  Cross,  if  He  speaks 
to  her,  it  is  to  pierce  her  soul  with  a  word 
sharper  than  the  sword,  the  cruel  nails,  and 
the  lance  that  tore  Him  from  her  maternal 
embrace.  By  robbing  her  of  her  own  Son, 
they  gave  her  John  in  His  place,  who,  after 
all,  was  only  a  stranger,  a  sinner, — a  man 
instead  of  a  God !  "  Dicit  matri  siiae;  Ecce 
filius  tuus!"  Very  far  from  lessening  the 
pain  of  His  Mother,  who  was  watching  Him 
die,  that  word  of  Jesus  thrust  the  last  sword 
into  her  heart  and,  according  to  St.  Ber 
nard,  "Plus  quam  Martyrem  non  immerito 
prae  die  emus,  made  Mary  a  martyr  and  the 
Queen  of  Martyrs." 


18G     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

But  to  this  sorrow  of  seeing  His  Mother 
suffer  without  His  permitting  Himself  to  do 
anything  for  her  relief,  there  is  for  the 
Heart  of  Jesus  a  pain  still  more  cruel,  still 
more  harrowing,  and  that  is,  to  know  with 
out  doubt  that  He  is  the  cause,  the  only 
cause  of  her  suffering.  It  is  most  true  to 
say  that  Mary  suffered  only  on  account  of 
Jesus  and  His  pains,  which  she  shared  with 
Him  without  reserve.  The  Passion  of 
Jesus  gave  rise  to  all  the  compassion  of 
Mary.  The  Passion  was  the  cause,  the  in 
strument,  and  the  measure  of  her  compas 
sion.  It  is  not  on  record,  indeed,  that, 
during  the  Passion,  Mary  had  to  endure  any 
insult  or  brutal  treatment  on  the  part  of  the 
judges,  the  executioners,  or  the  crowd.  Her 
grave  and  humble  modesty,  the  extreme  de 
jection  of  her  sorrow  enveloped  her  with  a 
kind  of  sacred  protection,  even  in  the  sight 
of  those  monsters  of  hatred  and  that  furious 
multitude  athirst  for  blood.  All  her  sor 
row  came  to  her,  then,  from  the  suffering 
of  her  Son.  This  strange  law,  that  Jesus 
would  be  her  mortal  torment  was  revealed  to 
Mary  as  soon  as  she  presented  Him  in  the 
Temple,  in  the  joy  of  her  glorious  maternity, 
"  Behold,  this  Child  is  set  for  the  fall,  and 


Twelfth  Day.  137 

for  the  resurrection  of  many  in  Israel,  and 
for  a  sign  which  shall  be  contradicted.  And 
thy  own  soul  a  sword  shall  pierce."     Mary 
had  lived  so  closely,  so  constantly  united  to 
her  Son,  that  her  soul  never  ceased  to  en 
velop  Him,  so  that  the  sword,  insults,  con 
demnation,  blows,  nails,  death  itself  could 
attack  Jesus  only  by  passing  through  the 
soul  of  His  Mother.     It  was  not  only  by  the 
sentiment   of   compassion   that   she   partici 
pated   in  the   Passion   of  Jesus.     She   was 
present  corporally,  for  she  had  the  courage 
to    follow    Him    everywhere,    from    Geth- 
semani    to    Calvary,    passing    through    the 
praetorium,  keeping  as  close  as  possible  to 
Him,  walking  in  the  tracks  of  His  Blood 
and  literally  following  His  footsteps.     Her 
presence  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross  authenti 
cates  by  the  Gospel  her  meeting  with  Him 
on  the  dolorous  way,  and  gives  us  an  assur 
ance  of  this  fact  consecrated  by  tradition. 
And  is  it  not  the  same  fact  that  is  still  re 
called  by  the  touching  and  graphic  lamenta 
tion  of  the  Stabat? 

In  the  Garden,  Mary  was  witness  to  the 
Agony  of  her  Son.  She  shared  the  terror, 
the  sadness,  the  languor,  the  bitterness  that 
inundated  His  Soul  and  dragged  Him  down 


188     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

to  the  gates  of  death.  She  heard  Him 
vainly  entreating  His  Father  to  remove 
from  Him  the  chalice  filled  with  the  wine 
of  His  wrath.  She  saw  Him  covered  with 
the  sweat  of  His  own  Blood,  going  to  seek 
from  His  Apostles  a  little  drop  of  comfort, 
but  which  was  denied  Him  by  their  torpid 
indifference.  Her  intimate  union  in  those 
pains,  which  she  would  have  been  so  happy 
to  sweeten  by  her  maternal  tenderness, 
caused  her  inexpressible  "  torment  and 
agony :  " 

"  Quae  mcerebat  et  dolebat 
Pia  mater  dum  videbat 
Nati  panas  inclyti! " 

She  followed  Him  from  tribunal  to 
tribunal,  heard  Him  accused  of  crimes  by 
false  witnesses,  and  condemned  as  an 
avowed  criminal  by  the  hatred  or  cowardice 
of  the  iniquitous  judges ;  then  she  assists  at 
the  horrible  torments  of  the  flagellation  and 
the  crowning  with  thorns.  She  revealed  to 
St.  Bridget  that  her  veil  had  been  stained 
with  the  drops  of  blood  which  spouted  from 
the  flesh  of  her  Well-Beloved  under  the 
violent  blows  of  the  scourge: 


Twelfth  Day.  189 

"  Pro  peccatis  suae  gentis 
Vidit  Jesus  in  tormentis, 
Et  flagellis  subditum!" 

Lastly,  she  was  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross, 
where  Jesus  endured  for  three  hours  the 
cruel  throes  of  His  last  agony.  She  as 
sisted  at  His  desolate  death,  amid  the  curses 
and  mockery  of  men  and  the  inexorable 
abandonment  of  His  Divine  Father,  and  she 
heard  Him  draw  His  last  sigh  while  utter 
ing  a  loud  cry  of  pain.  That  death,  which 
freed  the  Son  from  His  agony,  redoubled 
that  of  the  Mother;  and  when  she  received 
Him  into  her  arms  dead,  lacerated,  dis 
figured,  covered  with  clotted  blood,  her 
martyrdom  was  at  its  height : 

"  Vidit  suum  dulcem  natum 
Moriendo  desolatum, 
Dum  emisit  spiritum!" 

Jesus,  Jesus,  then,  is  the  cause,  the  whole 
cause  of  Mary's  suffering.  No  sword 
pierced  Jesus  without  turning  its  point  upon 
Mary,  also.  '  The  dolors  of  Mary,"  writes 
Father  Faber,  "  all  come  from  the  presence 
of  Jesus;  they  were  the  point  of  contact 
between  the  Heart  of  Jesus  and  the  Heart 
of  Mary.  He  Himself  was  the  cause  of  her 


1 90     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

woe.  He  poured  at  every  instant  from  His 
own  Soul  into  hers,  every  insult,  every  pain, 
every  outrage,  every  indignity.  It  was  He 
who  extended  His  Mother's  members  upon 
the  instrument  of  torture ;  it  was  He  who 
spread  around  her  the  dreariest  darkness. 
It  was  He  alone  who  caused  her  to  endure 
all  these  woes.  Without  Jesus,  Mary  would 
not  have  had  any  sorrows  to  endure ;  but 
for  her  heart,  the  best  loved  of  all  by  Him, 
He  was  a  fiery  cross.  And  then,  all  the  im 
mense  bitterness  that  He  poured  from  His 
own  Heart  into  Mary's,  He  received  again 
into  His,  but  without  relieving  Mary.  It 
entered  into  the  Heart  of  Jesus  like  another 
Passion.  Thus  the  compassion  of  Mary 
flowed  from  the  Passion  and  returned  to  it. 
Between  the  two  there  was  identity  rather 
than  union." 

O  ye  who  comprehend  in  some  degree 
the  dolors  of  Mary,  see,  understand  and 
adore  the  truth,  the  depth,  and  the  extent 
of  the  wound  that  they  dug  in  the  Heart  of 
her  Son,  who  saw  them  without  having  per 
mission  to  relieve  them,  and  who  had  re 
ceived  from  the  dread  justice  of  His  Father 
the  command  to  inflict  them.  Adore  in 
amazement  and  compassion.  When  yon 


Twelfth  Day.  191 

shall  have  comprehended  the  reasons  for 
this  strange  punishment,  caused  to  the 
Mother  by  the  Son,  and  falling  back  with 
double  force  from  the  Mother  upon  the  Son, 
you  will  bless  the  love  which  for  you  has  not 
hesitated  to  impose  it  on  both  the  one  and 
the  other! 

THANKSGIVING. 

God  the  Father  demanded  this  terrible 
suffering,  and  Jesus  embraced  it  "  in  order  to 
suffer  more,"  says  a  profound  commentator 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures  :  "  Voluit  hoc  Chris- 
tus  ut  magis  pateretur!"  To  suffer  in  His 
filial  tenderness,  to  assume  the  odious  ap 
pearance  of  a  heartless  Son,  to  suffer  from 
her  faithful  and  constant  presence  as  He 
did  from  the  absence  of  the  friends  that 
had  abandoned  Him,  to  endure,  in  reality, 
two  Passions — His  own  and  that  of  His 
Mother — this  was  the  aim  of  Jesus  in 
Mary's  dolors.  "  In  olden  times,"  says  an 
ancient  author,  "  it  was  not  lawful  to  im 
molate  a  sheep  on  the  day  they  had  taken 
away  its  lamb,  but  Thou,  O  God,  O  Father, 
didst  sacrifice  on  the  same  day  the  Son  with 
the  Mother!  The  love  they  have  for  each 
other  is  the  executioner  that  carries  out  Thy 


192     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

sentence ;  and  that  nothing  may  be  wanting 
to  their  sorrow,  they  are  tormented  at  the 
sight  of  each  other.  Blessed  forever  be  the 
excess  of  Thy  mercy  toward  sinners !  "  The 
sufferings  so  generously  embraced  by  the 
Son  of  God  prove  the  measure  of  His  love 
for  us ;  the  excess  of  His  Passion  reveals  to 
us  the  excess  of  His  love ! 

REPARATION. 

Jesus  willed  to  endure  the  pain  of  making 
His  mother  suffer  the  most  genuine  sorrows 
and  weep  the  holiest  tears,  in  order  to  ex 
piate  the  sins  committed  by  children  against 
the  duties  of  filial  devotedness,  by  children 
who  cause  their  poor  mothers  scalding 
tears.  Without  having  been  a  bad  child,  who 
is  he  who,  at  certain  times,  has  not  saddened 
his  mother  by  his  caprices,  his  pride,  or  his 
idleness?  But  how  numerous  the  children 
who,  by  their  ingratitude  and  disobedience, 
their  precocious  impiety  and  immorality, 
by  the  danger  of  eternal  death  which  they  in 
cur  and  in  which  they  remain,  bow  down  the 
aged  head  of  their  mother  under  the  weight 
of  dishonor,  torture  her  tender  heart  with 
mortal  anguish  and  inconsolable  desolation. 
Insensible  to  the  grief,  the  tears,  the  sighs 


Twelfth  Day.  193 

of  those  gentle  and  loving  mothers,  treading 
under  foot  the  law  of  nature  and  the  pre 
cept  of  the  Lord :  "  Gemitus  matris  suae  ne 
obliviscaris — Forget  not  the  groanings 
of  thy  mother  "(1),  they  bring  upon  them 
premature  old  age  and  hurry  them  to  the 
tomb. 

O  Christ,  the  best,  the  most  obedient,  and 
the  most  loving  of  sons,  expiate  the  crime  of 
these  parricides,  and  endure  in  Thy  filial  love 
the  sufferings  Thou  dost  impose  on  Thy  vir 
ginal  Mother ! 

Hear,  again,  the  lamentation  of  that  other 
Mother,  the  Holy  Church,  who  weeps  over 
the  ingratitude  and  disobedience  of  so  many 
of  her  children  who  pitilessly  persecute  her. 
To  repair  this  new  crime,  O  Jesus,  sacrifice, 
immolate  Thy  Heart  under  the  wine-press 
of  the  dolors  of  Thy  own  Mother,  which 
flow  back  upon  Thee ! 

PETITION. 

Jesus  confronted  this  heartfelt  sorrow  to 
sustain  by  His  example  the  courage  of  those 
children  upon  whom  God  imposes  duties  and 
from  whom  He  demands  sacrifices  which 


(1)     Eccles.  vii,  29. 


194     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

cannot    be    made    without    causing     great 
anguish  to  their  mothers. 

It  is  not  ingratitude  that  in  such  cases 
makes  tears  course  down  the  cheeks  of  those 
mothers  so  loved  and  venerated ;  it  is  the 
superior  right  of  divine  love  to  which,  when 
it  pleases  God,  every  other  love,  however 
legitimate,  must  be  sacrificed.  Jesus,  when 
a  Child,  did  not  hesitate  to  leave  His  Mother 
in  tears  and  disquietude  when  His  Divine 
Father,  in  order  to  affirm  His  sovereign 
rights,  commanded  Him  to  do  so  without 
saying  adieu.  Nor  did  He  hesitate  to  ex 
pose  her  to  the  horrible  tempest  of  His  Pas 
sion,  although  He  might  so  easily  have 
closed  her  eyes  as  He  did  St.  Joseph's,  be 
fore  casting  Himself  into  that  ocean  of  suf 
fering.  Jesus  acted  thus  in  order  to  give  to 
children  who  are,  by  duty  to  their  country, 
a  religious  vocation,  or  the  call  to  the  apos- 
tolate,  obliged  to  leave  their  mother.  If 
their  heart  shrinks,  if  the  tears  of  one  so 
venerated  weaken  their  resolution  and 
tempt  them  to  recoil,  let  them  look  upon  this 
admirable  Son  who  immolated  His  Mother 
to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  the 
world.  That  glance  will  strengthen  them  to 


Twelfth  Day.  195 

accomplish  their  sacrifice,  will  fortify  them 
against  after-thoughts  of  tender  regret. 

To  gain  precious  fruits  from  this- mystery, 
let  us  take  the  following  resolutions,  while 
earnestly  begging  the  Son  by  the  Mother  of 
Sorrows  for  the  grace  to  know  how  to  ac 
cept  and  suffer  pain,  whatsoever  it  may  be, 
without  distinction  or  reserve:  patiently  to 
behold  our  loved  ones  suffer,  although  we 
would  be  rejoiced  to  suffer  in  their  stead ;  to 
accept  cheerfully  what  those  we  most  love 
make  us  suffer;  willingly  (and  this  is  the 
most  painful  of  all  to  a  loving  heart)  to  be 
a  cause  of  suffering,  should  it  so  please  God, 
to  our  loved  ones  when  we  would  wish  most 
to  be  a  consolation  to  them.  Yes,  we  must 
even  be  willing,  voluntarily  and  un 
shrinkingly,  to  inflict  pain  on  them  when 
some  supernatural  good  or  the  welfare  of 
their  souls  calls  for  it. 

O  Christ  Jesus,  perfect  Son  of  Mary, 
and  Model  of  all  good  children,  Thou  who 
didst  love  us  even  to  sacrificing  Thy  own 
Mother,  be  Thou  forever  blessed!  Be 
Thou  loved  and  served  by  the  total  sacri 
fice  of  all  that  we  hold  most  dear,  if  it 
should  please  Thee  to  demand  it  of  us !  I 
press  my  lips  to  the  Wound  opened  in  Thy 


196     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Heart  by  Thy  love  for  Mary,  desiring  to 
find  therein  with  the  strength  never  to  re 
fuse  Thee  anything,  the  balm  necessary  to 
dress  the  wounds  that  the  sacrifice  of  its 
dearest  loves  may  open  in  my  heart! 

We  read  in  Blessed  Margaret  MaryV, 
Revelations  of  the  Sacred  Heart:  "One 
Friday,  during  Holy  Mass,  I  felt  a  great  de 
sire  to  honor  the  sufferings  of  my  Cruci 
fied  Spouse.  He  told  me  lovingly  that  He 
wanted  me  to  come  every  Friday  to  adore 
Him  thirty:three  times  on  the  tree  of  the 
Cross,  which  is  the  throne  of  His  mercy.  I 
was  to  prostrate  at  His  feet  and  endeavor  to 
enter  into  the  same  dispositions  in  which 
was  the  Blessed  Virgin  at  the  time  of  the 
Passion,  offering  it  all  to  the  Eternal 
Father  with  the  sufferings  of  His  Divine 
Son  for  the  conversion  of  hardened  hearts. 
To  those  who  had  been  faithful  to  this  prac 
tice,  Jesus  promised  to  be  favorable  at  the 
hour  of  death." 

Pray  for  vocations  to  the  priesthood. 

O  Mary  most  sorrowful,  Mother  of  all 
Christians,  pray  for  us. 

(300  days'  Indulgence.) 


TTbirtecntb  Dap 

THE    SACRED    HEART    IN    THE    RESURRECTION. 
ADORATION. 

SUBJECT. — The  Divine  Master  pointed 
out  His  Heart  to  men  in  the  different  states 
of  His  mortal  life  as  the  source  of  the  love 
that  He  testifies  toward  them  in  every  one 
of  those  states,  and  as  the  centre  in  which 
they  should  seek  Him  if  they  would  every 
where  find  and  taste  Him.  "  Come  to  Me 
and  learn  of  Me  that  I  am  meek  and  humble 
of  Heart,"  did  He  say  to  those  sheep  with 
out  a  shepherd,  to  the  heavily  burdened. 
"  Abide  in  Me,  abide  in  My  love,"  did  He 
say  when  He  made  Himself  a  Sacrament, 
when  He  drew  St.  John  to  His  Heart.  He 
willed  that  a  soldier  should  with  a  thrust  of 
his  lance  open  His  side  on  the  Cross,  to 
show  to  the  world  in  His  open  Heart  the 
love  that  had  led  Him  to  embrace  death  for 
its  redemption.  To  inaugurate  the  immor 
tal  life  that  He  was  henceforth  to  lead  to  the 
end  of  time  in  our  tabernacles  and  for  all 
eternity  in  heaven,  He  called  upon  Thomas 

197 


198     The  Rucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

to  plunge  his  hand  into  His  side:  "After 
manum  tuam,  et  mitte  in  latus  meum — 
Bring  hither  thy  hand,  and  put  it  into  My 
side/'  that  we  might  know  by  contact  with 
His  Heart  in  Its  new  life  that  He  is  always 
our  Lord  and  our  God.  In  His  resuscitated 
life  as  in  His  death,  He  was  consecrating  to 
our  welfare  the  treasures  of  His  glorified 
Heart,  as  He  had  poured  out  for  our  bene 
fit  all  the  devotedness  of  His  mortal  Heart. 

The  various  manifestations  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  during  the  days  that  our  risen  Sav 
iour  passed  upon  earth  after  the  Resurrec 
tion,  will  form  the  subject  of  this  Adora 
tion. 

While  the  Body  of  Jesus,  wrapped  in  the 
winding-sheet,  lay  motionless  in  the  tomb, 
His  Divinity,  which  was  never  separated 
from  the  Humanity  even  in  death,  com 
missioned  the  most  glorious  of  the  angels 
to  gather  up  in  golden  cups  the  drops  of 
sacred  Blood  scattered  over  the  wide  battle 
field  on  which  the  intrepid  Christ  had  com 
bated.  Those  angelic  messengers  bore  it 
with  the  deepest  respect  to  the  source 
whence  it  had  issued,  to  the  Sacred  Heart, 
pierced,  broken,  lifeless.  For  three  days  it 
rested  before  resuming  new  life,  the  just 


Thirteenth  Day.  199 

recompense  of  Its  holy  and  magnanimous 
death.  At  the  moment  of  the  Resurrection, 
the  Soul  of  the  Saviour,  ending  Its  benefi 
cent  visit  to  the  patriarchs  of  limbo, 
touched  with  Its  radiant  wing  the  pale  coun 
tenance  of  the  Christ  in  His  sleep  of  death 
and,  ardent  and  joyous,  united  Itself  for 
ever  to  that  Body,  so  pure  and  so  worthy  of 
It,  and  from  which  It  should  never  have 
been  separated.  At  that  touch  of  intense 
power,  the  Heart  of  Christ  awoke  and,  with 
an  impetuous  rush,  propelled  into  the  ar 
teries  the  Blood  that  filled  It.  Then  began 
the  joyous  and  rhythmic  pulsation  of  the 
glorious  life  by  which  the  First-Born  of 
the  Resurrection  was  to  live  eternally. 

Nothing  henceforth  could  trouble  the  un 
alterable  joy  of  this  Heart,  no  power  what 
ever  could  dim  Its  glory,  no  more  painful 
and  ignominious  effusion  of  Its  Blood. 
Peace,  light,  beatitude  unending  were  to  be 
Its  portion.  The  life  that  it  poured  into  the 
members  of  the  Saviour  was  safe  from  every 
attack,  secure  against  the  ravages  of  decrepi 
tude,  raised  above  the  laws  of  matter,  inde 
pendent  of  every  created  cause,  and  endued 
with  all  the  prerogatives  of  the  spiritual 
life.  The  Heart  of  the  First-Born  among 


200     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  victors  over  death,  It  became  the  centre 
of  every  resurrection  for  souls  purchased  to 
the  life  of  grace,  for  all  that  enter  into  the 
life  of  glory,  as  well  as  for  the  body 
snatched  from  the  dust  of  the  tomb  and  es 
tablished  in  incorruptible  life.  It  is  the 
living  and  luminous  source,  from  which  all 
souls  thirsting  for  unruffled  peace,  pure  joy, 
and  eternal  happiness,  shall  come  to  draw, 
to  slake  their  thirst,  and  to  be  inebriated 
without  ever  exhausting  It:  Haurietis 
aquas  in  gaudio  de  fontibus  Salvatoris  (1). 

THANKSGIVING. 

Goodness  is  the  principal  motive  for 
gratitude.  In  no  other  phase  of  His  life 
did  the  Saviour  more  tenderly  manifest  His 
goodness  than  in  His  Resurrection.  The 
spirit  that  this  mystery  inspires  is,  also,  one 
of  joy,  happiness,  and  thanksgiving. 

Christ  shows  that  glory  has  not  changed 
His  Heart,  as  it  too  often  happens  among 
men.  His  goodness  shines  forth  in  His 
eagerness  to  show  Himself  to  His  own,  to 
multiply  His  apparitions  to  them,  and  to 
allow  Himself  to  be  touched  by  them: 
" Videte  et  palpate!— Handle  and  see!" 

(1)     Is,  xii,  3. 


Thirteenth  Day.  201 

His  goodness  speaks  in  His  words  of  peace, 
repeated  insistently:  " Pax  vobis!  Iterum 
dico,  Pax  vobis! — Peace  to  you!  Again  T 
say,  Peace  to  you !  "  It  was  His  conde 
scending  goodness  that  made  Him  return 
to  the  Cenacle,  urged  by  the  challenge  of  in 
credulous  Thomas,  in  order  to  impart  to 
him  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  he  had  not  re 
ceived  with  his  fellow-disciples. 

What  familiarity,  what  goodness  on  the 
shore  of  the  sea  of  Tiberias !  "  Pueri  num- 
quid  pulmentarium  habetis? —  Children, 
have  you  any  meat?  Cast  the  net  on  the 
right !  "  And  He  had  Himself  lighted  the 
coals  upon  which  was  broiling  a  fine  fish, 
which  He  blessed,  distributed,  and  ate  with 
them:  " Accepit  panem  et  piscem  simili- 
ter." — It  is  His  goodness  that  consoles  the 
weeping  Magdalen :  "  Woman,  why  weep- 
est  thou  ?  "  "  They  have  taken  away  my 
Lord!"  "Mary!"  "  Rabboni,  O  my 
Master !  " 

It  was  the  compassionate  goodness  of 
Jesus  that  encouraged,  enlightened,  and 
strengthened  the  disciples  of  Emmaus.  He 
explained  to  them  the  Scriptures  that  an 
nounced  and  justified  His  death.  He  re- 
vived  their  fainting  hearts  with  the  breath 


202     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

of  His  convincing  proofs.  He  deigned  to 
accept  their  hospitality  and,  reversing  the 
roles,  became  their  host.  He  fed  them  with 
"  Bread  blessed  and  broken,"  with  that  mar 
vellous  Eucharist  which  they  had  tasted 
three  days  before,  and  He  sent  them  away 
full  of  faith  and  zeal  on  their  mission  of 
witnesses  and  Apostles. 

REPARATION. 

The  very  mysteries  which  glory  illumines 
most  with  its  splendors  and  replenishes  with 
holy  joy,  are  mingled  with  sadness,  become 
overcast  when  in  contact  with  sinful  man. 
They  have  to  amend  and  purify,  hence,  the 
necessity  for  reparation.  In  the  effusions 
of  Its  Paschal  joys,  therefore,  the  Sacred 
Heart  feels  Itself  obliged  to  inspire  the  Sav 
iour  with  remonstrances  and  reproaches.  It 
inveighs,  above  all,  against  the  weak  and 
wavering  faith  of  Its  own  followers,  and 
against  the  discouragement  resulting  from 
it,  and  which  may  easily  lead  to  infidelity 
and  apostasy. 

On  account  of  their  ignorance,  which  had 
not  comprehended  the  Saviour's  teachings, 
and  their  groundless  distrust  of  His  good 
ness,  the  Apostles  were,  more  or  less,  a 


Thirteenth  Day.  203 

prey  to  the  terrible  evil  of  incredulity.  In 
vain  had  Jesus  announced  to  them  on  several 
occasions  His  Passion,  Death,  and  Resur 
rection,  and  proved  that  they  had  been  fore 
told  by  the  prophets.  On  the  very  day  after 
the  event,  they  remembered  not  that  the 
Scriptures  declared  His  Resurrection  cer 
tain.  The  holy  women,  sent  to  them  first 
by  the  angel,  then  by  the  Saviour  Himself, 
talked  foolishly,  as  they  thought,  when  an 
nouncing  His  Resurrection,  and  they  re 
fused  to  believe.  Even  in  the  presence  of 
their  risen  Lord,  they  hesitated  and  feared 
being  deceived.  Still  more,  after  the  re 
peated  apparitions  in  the  Cenacle,  they 
failed  to  recognize  Him  when  He  appeared 
on  the  shores  of  Tiberias.  It  was  only  the 
more  refined  perceptions  of  John  that  made 
Him  known  to  Peter  and  the  other  disciples : 
"  Dominus  est — It  is  the  Lord !  " 

Such  incredulity  outraged  the  Saviour's 
veracity,  and  wounded  still  more  His  Heart. 
Indignation,  as  well  as  sorrow,  may  be 
traced  in  the  reproaches  that  Jesus  made  to 
them.  "  O  foolish  and  slow  of  heart  to  be 
lieve  in  all  things  which  the  prophets  have 
spoken,"  did  He  say  to  the  disciples  when, 
in  doubt  and  despondency,  they  were  mak- 


204     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

ing  their  way  to  Emmaus.  "  Know  ye  not 
that  Christ  had  to  suffer  these  things,  and 
so  to  enter  into  His  glory  ?  "  When  He  ap 
peared  to  the  Eleven  as  they  were  at  table, 
He  "  upbraided  them  with  their  incredulity 
and  hardness  of  heart,  because  they  did  not 
believe  them  who  had  seen  Him  after  He  has 
risen — Ex  probravit  incredulitatem  et  duri- 
tiam  cordis." 

Oh,  how  difficult  it  is  to  obtain  and  to 
preserve  faith,  though  so  necessary !  When 
recommending  to  Thomas  to  be  no  longer 
faithless,  but  believing,  the  Saviour,  to  exalt 
the  merit  of  faith,  made  use  of  these  words  : 
"  Beati  qui  non  viderunt  et  crediderunt! 
—Blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and 
have  believed !  " 

PETITION. 

The  Resurrection,  in  retaining  the  open 
Wound  of  the  Sacred  Side,  reveals  the 
Heart  of  the  Priest  who  prays,  of  the 
Apostle  who  evangelizes,  of  the  Father  who 
remains  ever  in  the  midst  of  His  children 
to  protect  them. 

"  Behold,  I  go  to  My  Father,  to  My  God," 
said  the  Saviour.  In  these  words,  He  made 
known  the  ministry  of  all-powerful  media- 


Thirteenth  Day.  205 

tion  that  He  was  to  exercise  as  the  eternal 
High-Priest  in  behalf  of  the  world.  He  is 
ever  standing  before  the  Father,  showing 
Him  His  Wounds,  which  tell  of  His  Pas 
sion  and  His  victory,  and  appealing  to  Him 
without  intermission  to  grant  us  all  the 
fruits  of  His  Resurrection. 

His  Heart  is  overflowing  with  pity  and 
inflamed  with  ardent,  apostolic  zeal  for 
souls.  He  must  shed  light  upon  the  whole 
earth,  and  carry  salvation  to  mankind,  held 
by  Satan  in  the  chains  of  death.  To  His 
Apostles  on  the  little  hill  in  Galilee,  which 
He  had  assigned  to  them  as  a  rendezvous, 
He  said :  "  All  power  is  given  me  in  heaven 
and  on  earth.  Going,  therefore,  teach  ye  all 
nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 

But  His  Heart  is  that  of  a  father  toward 
the  family  which  He  Himself  has  gathered 
together,  and  which  He  wishes  to  multiply 
indefinitely.  He  knows  that  the  father's 
presence  is  indispensable  to  the  children, 
that  he  it  is  who  must  provide  them  with 
food  and  protection.  At  no  cost  will  He 
leave  them  orphans,  so  giving  to  heaven  His 


206     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

human  Presence,  He  gives  us  His  Eucha 
ristic  Presence  by  the  solemn  words  of  an 
inviolable  testament :  "  Wheresoever  you 
go  to  preach  My  Gospel,  I  am  with  you  all 
days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the 
world." 

• 

Pray  that  the  pious  custom  of  frequent 
and  daily  Communion  may  increase  among 
children. 

St.  Joseph,  model  and  patron  of  those 

who  love  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  pray 
for  us. 

(100  days'  Indulgence.) 


jfourtcentb 

THE  SACRED  HEART  ABIDING  IN  THE  EUCHA- 
RISTIC   PRESENCE. 

ADORATION. 

"  Haurietis  aquas  in  gaudio  de  fontibus 
Salvatoris — You  shall  draw  waters  with  joy 
out  of  the  Saviour's  fountains  "  (1). 

Now,  this  life,  this  joy  and  glory  with 
which  It  was  replenished  in  the  Resurrec 
tion,  the  Sacred  Heart  is  burning  to  shed 
around,  by  revealing  Itself  to  the  world 
and  communicating  to  it  unreservedly.  It 
impelled  the  Saviour  to  go  to  the  Cenacle 
where,  uncertain  and  fearful,  were  gathered 
the  disciples  whose  faith  had  received  so 
rude  a  shock  from  the  grievous  defeat  in 
flicted  on  Him  by  His  enemies.  In  spite 
of  the  closed  doors,  He  entered,  and  His  ap 
parition,  like  a  phantom  before  their 
troubled  eyes,  only  increased  the  terror  of 
their  souls.  But  He,  in  that  sweet  and  com 
manding  voice  which  calmed  tempests 
and  gained  hearts,  uttered  the  words: 

(1)      IS.  xii,  3 


208 


The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 


"  Peace  be  to  you  !  "  At  the  sound,  their 
faces  brightened,  and  their  hearts  grew  light. 
But  wishing  to  strengthen  their  peace 
against  vicissitudes  and  establish  it  on  un 
shaken  faith  and  confidence,  He  turned  to 
Thomas,  still  incredulous  concerning  the 
Resurrection.  Earnestly  and  tenderly  He 
said  to  him :  "  Put  in  thy  finger  hither,  and 
see  My  hands,  and  put  it  into  My  side ;  and 
be  not  faithless,  but  believing:— Affer 
manum  tuam  et  mitte  in  latus  meum!" 
Come,  draw  near,  do  not  fear!  Touch, 
handle,  thrust  thy  finger  into  these  Wounds 
of  My  hands  and  see  whether  they  are  not 
the  hands  of  a  living  man.  Place  thy  hand 
into  the  wide  Wound  of  My  Heart,  plunge 
it  in,  draw  it  out,  put  it  in  again,  and  feel 
around  in  it!  Go  deep  into  My  Heart, 
wounded  from  side  to  side.  Feel  Its  pulsa 
tions.  It  is  living  and  glowing.  Feel  the 
warmth  of  the  Blood  that  dilates  It,  the 
strength  of  the  movement  that  makes  It  rise 
and  fall,  the  ardor  of  the  love  that  consumes 
It.  Ah!  say,  is  it  not  the  Heart  of  the 
Messiah  who  has  called  you,  of  the  Friend 
who  has  loved  you,  of  the  Brother  with 
whom  you  have  lived,  of  the  Priest  who  has 
fed  you  with  His  own  consecrated  Flesh,  of 


Fourteenth  Day.  209 

the  God  whom  miracles  have  proved  to  you, 
of  the  Sovereign  Master  to  whom  you  have 
given  yourself?  Can  you  not  henceforth 
believe  firmly  that  it  is  I,  I  whom  you  have 
seen  die,  I  whom  you  behold  risen  again? 
"Noli  esse  incredulus,  sed  Udells — Be  not 
faithless,  but  believing-." 

o 

And  Thomas,  his  hand  in  the  Heart  which 
is  beating  with  immortal  life,  with  the  joy  of 
meeting  those  whom  It  loves  so  much,  with 
tender  condescension  toward  the  rashness  of 
Its  incredulous  disciple, — Thomas  enlight 
ened,  won,  subdued, — Thomas  in  a  rapture 
of  gratitude,  confessed  his  faith,  adored,  and 
rendered  homage  to  Christ  risen  :  "  Domi- 
nus  meus  et  Dens  meus!  My  Lord  and  my 
God !  "  The  touch  of  the  Sacred  Heart  re 
vealed  to  him  the  truth  of  Jesus'  Humanity, 
the  truth  of  His  new  life,  of  His  personal 
identity,  His  victory  over  death,  His  glory, 
His  Divinity,  and  His  love  for  men.  All 
this  in  the  splendors  of  His  Resurrection  re 
mains  what  it  was  in  the  humility  of  His 
mortal  life :  "  Dominus  meus  et  Deus 
meus ! " 

It  is  this  resuscitated  Heart,  glorious  and 
immortal,  which  beats  in  the  breast  of  the 
Eucharistic  Christ  under  the  veils  of  ma- 


210     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

terial  signs,  which  conceal  His  splendor.  If 
you  desire  that  your  faith  should  taste  the 
joy  of  certitude  and  be  enlightened  with  the 
clear  light  of  vision  so  far  as  to  confess  your 
Lord  and  your  God,  enter,  penetrate,  plunge 
your  hand  into  His  Heart,  which  is  still 
open,  and  which  has  been  calling  you  for 
twenty  centuries !  It  is  His  Heart  that  re 
veals  the  Presence,  the  life,  and  the  love  of 
the  Christ  of  the  Sacrament:  " Dominus 
meus  et  Deus  meus!" 

"  One  day,"  said  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"  when  the  Blessed  Sacrament  was  exposed, 
Jesus  Christ,  my  good  Master,  presented 
Himself  to  me  brilliant  with  glory,  His  five 
Wounds  shining  like  so  many  suns.  Flames 
shot  forth  on  all  sides  from  His  Sacred 
Humanity,  above  all,  from  His  adorable 
Breast,  which  looked  like  a  furnace.  Open 
ing  It,  He  showed  me  His  Divine  Heart, 
the  living  source  of  those  flames.  It  was 
then  that  He  discovered  to  me  the  inexplic 
able  marvels  of  His  pure  love  and  to  what  an 
excess  it  had  led  Him  in  His  love  for  man." 

THANKSGIVING. 

It  was  Jesus'  merciful  and  delicate  good 
ness  that,  without  making  any  painful  al- 


Fourteenth  Day.  211 

lusion  to  it,  raised  up  Peter  after  his  triple 
denial.  He  simply  demanded  of  him  in  the 
presence  of  those  that  he  had  scandalized, 
three  acts  of  love,  after  which  He  confirmed 
him  in  his  charge  of  universal  pastor: 
"  Petre,  diligis  me  plus  his?  Pasce  agnos, 
pasce  oves— Peter,  lovest  thou  Me?  Feed 
My  sheep,  feed  My  lambs." 

It    is    the    generous    goodness    of    Jesus 
which  is  satisfied  only  when  making  others 
happy,  shedding  joy  into  hearts,  and  caus 
ing  them  to   forget  all  sadness :     "  Gavisi 
sunt  discipuli,  viso  Domino— The  disciples 
were  glad  when  they  saw  the  Lord."     He 
goes  to  meet  the   faithful,  but  disquieted, 
women    with   the    words:     " Avete,    nolite 
timere—All  hail!     Fear  not."     And  He  al 
lowed  them  in  their  joyful  emotion  to  cast 
themselves  at  His  glorified  feet,  and  cover 
them  with  their  pious  kisses.     The  Church 
forever  resounds  with  the  echoes  of  the  pure 
joy  with  which  He  replenished  the  heart  of 
His   Mother  when,  like  a  loving  son,  He 
pressed  her  to  His  Heart,  making  her  taste 
as  much  happiness  as  she  had  experienced 
bitterness:      "  Regina    coeli,    laetare,    quia 
quern  meruisti  par  tare,  resurrexit  sicut  dixit, 
alleluia!— O  Queen  of  heaven,  rejoice,  be- 


212     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

cause  He  whom  thou  didst  deserve  to  bear, 
has  risen  as  He  said,  Alleluia !  " 
^  "Once,"  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
when  I  had  retired  into  a  little  corner  to 
be  nearer  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  the  ador 
able  Heart  of  my  Jesus  was  presented  to  me 
more  brilliant  than  a  sun.  It  was  in  the 
midst  of  the  flames  of  Its  pure  love,  and 
surrounded  by  seraphim,  who  sang  in  won 
derful  harmony: 

Love  triumphs,  love  possesses, 

The  love  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  rejoices ! 

These  blessed  spirits  invited  me  to  unite 

with  them  in  magnifying  this  amiable  Heart. 

and  to  render  It  an  unending  homage  of  love 

and  praise." 

REPARATION. 

But  if  His  most  merciful  Heart  dictated 
to  the  unrecognized  Saviour  the  necessary 
reprimands,  It  did  not  fail  to  incline  Him 
to  pardon  the  guilty  and  apply  a  remedy  to 
their  faults.  It  was  in  one  of  those  con 
soling  visits  of  the  Resurrection  that  He  in 
stituted  the  Sacrament  of  mercy,  through 
whose  all-powerful  action  every  sin  will  be 
remitted  to  them  who  humbly  accuse  them- 


Fourteenth  Day.  213 

selves.  The  breath  of  pardon  which  will 
pass  with  the  Holy  Spirit  over  guilty  souls 
to  purify  them  from  sin  and  lead  them  back 
to  the  divine  life,  will  first  have  issued  from 
the  Sacred  Heart,  victorious  by  the  Resur 
rection  over  sin  and  its  principal  causes, 
Satan  and  the  world.  "  He  breathed  upon 
them,  and  He  said  to  them :  Receive  ye  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Whose  sins  ye  shall  forgive, 
they  are  forgiven  them ;  and  whose  sins  ye 
shall  retain,  they  are  retained." 

Let  us,  then,  make  reparation  for  all  our 
incredulity  of  mind,  of  heart  and  deed 
toward  Christ  risen  from  the  tomb,  and  who 
appears  to  us  constantly  under  the  accidents 
of  the  Sacrament.  Appearances  are  deceit 
ful  ;  but  he  who  accepts  in  all  their  fulness 
the  Eucharistic  words,  shall  never  feel  his 
faith  and  confidence  grow  weak,  '  This  is 
My  Body,  this  is  My  Blood !  "  If  it  is  the 
human  Body  of  Jesus,  it  must  be  animated 
by  a  human  Soul,  for  life  necessarily  results 
from  the  union  of  soul  and  body.  Now,  as 
the  Humanity  of  the  Saviour  existed  only 
to  be  borne  and  deified  by  the  Person  of  the 
Word,  this  Body,  this  Soul,  this  Blood  are 
those  of  a  God.  The  Eucharist  is,  there 
fore  the  Word  Incarnate,  Christ  resusci- 


214     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

tated  and  living  under  the  appearance  of 
bread.  As  no  obligation  retains  Him  under 
the  abject  bonds  of  the  Sacrament  excepting 
His  own  Heart,  that  is,  His  love,  it  follows 
that  the  Eucharist  is  Christ  loving  as  well 
as  Christ  living.  Lord,  guard,  increase, 
strengthen  ever  my  faith  in  Thy  Heart, 
give  me  light  indefectible  which  enlighten? 
the  abysses  of  the  mystery  of  Thy  Eucha 
rist! 

Our  incredulity,  our  forgetfulness,  our 
diffidence  and  discouragement,  are  felt  very 
keenly  by  the  Saviour  in  this  Sacrament  of 
life  and  love.  Like  thorns  constantly 
driven  into  His  Heart  they  wound  Him. 
Like  a  new  Cross  laid  on  His  shoulders, 
they  crush  Him. 

"  One  day,"  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"this  Divine  Heart  was  shown  me  on  a 
throne  of  fire  and  flames,  shooting  out  rays 
on  all  sides  more  brilliant  than  the  sun  and 
transparent  as  crystal.  The  Wound  that 
It  had  received  on  the  Cross  appeared  in  It. 
A  crown  of  thorns  surrounded  the  Divine 
Heart,  and  It  was  surmounted  by  a  Cross. 
My  Divine  Master  gave  me  to  understand 
that  these  instruments  of  His  Passion  signi 
fied  all  the  outrages  to  which  His  love  for 


Fourteenth  Day.  215 

men  would  expose  Him  in  the  Holy  Eucha 
rist  to  the  end  of  time." 

PETITION. 

The  glorified  Heart  of  the  risen  Christ, 
without  abandoning  us,  consecrates  to  us  in 
the  Sacrament,  which  preserves  Him  for  us 
present  and  living,  His  immortal  life,  His 
devoted  love,  His  most  pure  joys,  His  un 
tiring  solicitude,  His  uninterrupted  prayers 
and  Sacrifice,  the  daily  Bread,  and  His  in 
vincible  protection.  All  this  is  secured  to 
those  that  believe  in  Him  and  invoke  Him 
with  firm  confidence.  Let  us  pray,  then, 
through  the  Heart  of  the  risen  Christ.  Let 
us  obtain  resurrection  for  all  who  are  dear 
to  us,  but  whom  sin  holds  in  the  thraldom 
of  death.  Let  us,  above  all,  obtain  the 
resurrection  of  Christian  France.  To  it  was 
revealed  the  victorious  Heart  for  the  cure  of 
its  mortal  evils  and  to  restore  to  it,  with  the 
plenitude  of  Christian  life,  the  power  of  a 
world-wide  apostolate. 

"  What  happiness  for  us,"  wrote  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary,  "  and  for  those  that  help  to 
make  the  Sacred  Heart  known,  loved,  and 
glorified!  They  will  draw  down  upon  them 
selves  the  friendship  and  eternal  benediction 


216     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

of  the  loving  Heart  of  Jesus,  and  obtain  a 
powerful  Protector  for  our  country.  No 
less  a  power  is  necessary  to  appease  the  bit 
terness  and  severity  of  the  just  wrath  of  God 
for  so  many  crimes.  I  hope  that  this 
Divine  Heart  will  become  an  abundant  and 
inexhaustible  source  of  mercy  and  grace,  as 
It  has  promised  me." 

Pray    for    the    intentions    of    our    Holy 
Father,  Pope  Pius  X. 

Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  let  thy  Kingdom 
come ! 

(300  days'  Indulgence.) 


ffifteentb 

THE  PRECIOUS  BLOOD  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART. 

"  Unus  militum  lancea  latus  ejus  aperuit, 
et  continue  exivit  Sanguis  et  aqua." 

LET  us  fix  our  eyes  on  the  Heart  of  the 
Saviour,  opened  by  the  lance  of  the  soldier 
on  Calvary,  whence  flowed  the  last  streams 
of  the  redeeming  Blood.  Let  us  gaze  upon 
this  Heart  always  open  in  the  Eucharist, 
laving  and  cleansing  souls,  and  fertilizing 
the  field  of  the  Church  with  its  inexhaustible 
fountains.  Let  us  render  to  It  our  service 
of  adoration,  gratitude,  compassion,  and 
prayer  for  the  sublime  destiny  which  God 
has  given  It,  for  the  powerful,  beneficent, 
and  loving  office  that  It  exercises  for  the 
glory  of  the  Father  and  for  our  salvation 
by  containing  and  pouring  forth  the  most 
Precious  Blood  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"  Behold  the  Heart  that  has  so  loved  men, 
that  has  spared  Itself  in  nothing,  that  has 
exhausted  Itself,  in  order  to  prove  to  them 
Its  love!  "  (Words  of  Our  Lord  to  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary.) 

217 


218     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

ADORATION. 

"  Hie  est  calix  Sanguinis  Mei:  This  is  the 
chalice  of  My  Blood." 

Such  were  Jesus'  words  when  presenting 
to  His  own  the  golden  cup  of  His  Precious 
Blood,  which  He  had  substituted  for  the 
substance  of  the  wine,  though  retaining  the 
ruddy  appearance  of  the  grape,  in  order  not 
to  shock  our  fastidiousness.  Ah !  I  know  a 
chalice  made  of  material  more  precious  than 
gold,  enriched  with  the  rarest  stones,  shin 
ing  with  a  far  purer  brilliancy,  a  chalice  not 
formed  by  the  hand  of  man,  a  chalice  living 
and  loving,  holy  and  sanctifying,  a  chalice 
which  contains  the  adorable  Blood  of  Jesus 
in  its  reality,  in  its  life,  in  its  constant  and 
indefatigable  action — that  chalice  is  the 
thrice-holy  Heart ! 

I  adore  that  Heart  as  the  furnace  in  which 
the  Blood  of  the  Son  of  God  was  elaborated 
during  the  time  of  His  human  life,  as  the 
reservoir  in  which  it  is  preserved,  as  the  un 
failing  source  from  which  it  is  shed  abroad, 
as  the  centre  to  which  it  incessantly  returns 
only  to  pour  itself  out  again !  I  adore  that 
Heart  of  the  First-Born  of  mankind  con 
demned  to  death,  as  the  immaculate  vase, 


Fifteenth  Day.  219, 

fragile  and  passible,  whence  flowed  all  the 
Blood  that  was  shed  through  the  wounded 
members  of  the  Saviour,  and  which  was  It 
self  broken  by  a  last  blow,  that  Its  remain 
ing  drops  might  be  shed  for  the  salvation  of 
the  world  !  I  adore  that  Heart  of  the  First- 
Born  of  the  Resurrection,  impassible  and 
immortal,  overflowing  with  the  unalloyed 
joys  of  beatitude,  and  offering  to  the 
ravished  adoration  of  the  elect  the  victorious 
Blood  that  had  purchased  them  from  death ! 
Lastly,  I  adore  It,  still  the  incorruptible 
vase,  but  concealed  under  the  material  ap 
pearance  of  the  Sacrament,  blending  the 
semblance  of  death  and  humiliation  with  the 
realities  of  life  and  glory,  in  order  to  send 
up  to  God  from  the  depths  of  this  earth  of 
sin  and  indigence  the  atonement  that  He  ex 
pects  from  it,  to  pour  out  unceasingly  upon 
mankind  during  the  hardships  of  their 
earthly  pilgrimage  the  elixir  of  eternal 
life,  and  to  have  always  in  readiness  for 
them  the  bath  which  cleanses  from  every 
stain. 

I  adore  in  the  Eucharistic  Heart  of  My 
Saviour  His  true  and  real  Blood  in  its  per 
fect  and  incorruptible  purity.  I  adore  it  in 
its  life  independent  of  every  exterior  cause, 


220     The  Eu  char  is  tic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

rising  above  time,  its  vicissitndes  and  its 
decay.  I  believe  in  its  inestimable  price, 
which  renders  it  worthy  of  the  adoration 
that  angels  and  men  give  to  God  Himself. 
Why  do  I  believe  in  its  worth?  I  believe, 
because  it  was  formed  of  the  purest  drops 
of  the  Virgin-Mother's  blood,  carefully 
selected  by  the  Holy  Spirit  Himself.  I  be 
lieve,  because  it  has  become  the  Blood  the 
most  exquisite,  the  purest,  the  most  quicken 
ing,  and  the  most  worthy  of  existing  among 
all  the  children  of  men.  I  believe,  because 
it  was  taken  by  the  Word  as  His  own  Blood, 
penetrated  by  the  Divinity  even  to  its  least 
globules  and  substantially  deified.  I  be 
lieve,  because  it  has  been  enriched  by  all  the 
virtues  of  the  Holy  One  of  God,  by  actions 
to  which  it  has  lent  its  faithful  and  gener 
ous  concurrence,  by  sufferings  that  consum 
mated  its  perfection,  and  by  all  the  merits 
of  the  triumphant  Resurrection  which  rec 
ompensed  them. 

O  Heart  of  infinite  love,  Thou  didst  ap 
pear  environed  with  flames  when  Thou 
didst  shake  off  the  dust  of  the  sacramental 
state  in  order  to  reveal  Thyself  in  our  day ! 
I  adore  Thee  as  the  inextinguishable  fur 
nace  in  which  the  Blood  of  Mv  Saviour  boils 


Fifteenth  Day.  221 

tip  with  glowing  fervor,  and  whence  it 
flows  in  burning  wave  to  enkindle  in  all 
hearts  the  fire  of  its  love!  I  adore  Thy 
Blood  consumed  by  Uncreated  Love  which 
eternally  desired  it,  and  which  takes  in  it 
infinite  complacency.  I  adore  Thy  Blood 
consumed  by  all  the  sacred  loves  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  enkindled  therein  at  the  mo 
ment  of  its  formation,  which  were  in 
creased  by  the  wind  of  contradiction,  and 
which  reached  their  height  in  the  sufferings 
of  the  Passion !  I  adore  Thy  Blood,  de 
voured  with  the  hot  breath  of  longing,  of 
hunger,  and  thirst  to  be  loved  in  its  Sacra 
ment  which  allows  it  no  repose! 

Lastly,  O  Jesus,  in  absolute  dependence 
and  obedience,  I  adore  the  sovereign  rights 
of  Thy  Blood  over  me,  for  it  is  the  Blood 
of  my  Creator,  of  my  Redeemer,  of  my 
Sanctifier.  It  is  the  Blood  that  will  judge 
me  for  eternity!  I  acknowledge  the  ab 
solute  necessity  that  I  have  of  it  for  I  know 
that  without  it,  there  is  no  salvation  for  me. 
I  know  that  it  is  the  indispensable  condition 
of  my  life,  and  that,  if  I  do  not  nourish  my 
self  assiduously  with  it,  eternal  death  will 
be  my  portion.  I  accept  the  infallible  word 
coming  forth  from  Thy  lips,  which  it  em- 


2%2     The  Eucharist ic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

purples:  "Nisi  .  .  .  biberitis  ejus 
Sanguinem,  non  habebitis  vitam  in  vobis! 
Except  .  .  .  you  drink  His  Blood,  you 
shall  not  have  life  in  you  "  (1). 

THANKSGIVING. 

"  Hie  est  Sanguis  meus  qui  pro  multis  ef- 
fundetur: — This  is  My  Blood  which  shall 
be  shed  for  many"  (2). 

The  term  shedding,  pouring  out,  by  which 
the  Divine  Master  designates  the  gift  that 
He  makes  to  us  of  His  Precious  Blood,  does, 
indeed,  well  express  the  powerful  streams, 
the  perpetual  diffusion,  the  universal  inun 
dation  of  His  Blood.  The  showers  of 
spring  and  autumn  do  not  fall  more  abund 
antly  from  the  skies,  the  rivulets  do  not  gush 
more  quickly  from  their  source,  the  torrents 
do  not  rush  more  impetuously  down  the 
mountain  side,  the  seas  do  not  extend  fur 
ther  their  broad  expanse  of  waters,  than 
flows  the  Precious  Blood  from  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  under  the  impulse  of  Its  love. 

The  Heart  of  Jesus  is  the  only  source 
whence  originate  those  streams  of  purity, 
of  life,  and  of  consolation,  carried  forth  by 


(1)  John  vi,  54. 

(2)  Matt,  xxvi,  28. 


Fifteenth  Day.  223 

the  Precious  Blood:  "  Haurietis  aquas  in 
gaudio  de  fontibus  Salvatoris: — You  shall 
draw  waters  with  joy  out  of  the  Saviour's 
fountains."  He  who  has  received  under 
what  form  soever,  one  of  those  gifts  of 
grace,  which  are  all  tiny  portions  of  the  In 
finite  Good,  has  drawn  from  the  Sacred 
Heart  a  drop  of  the  Precious  Blood;  for 
every  grace,  every  help  from  On  High, 
every  celestial  gift,  is  a  fruit,  a  transformed 
drop  of  the  Precious  Blood. 

The  characteristics  that  mark  the  vivify 
ing  effusions  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  their 
spontaneity  and  readiness,  their  abundance 
and  liberality,  their  prodigality  and  magnifi 
cence,  their  fidelity  and  constancy,  are  all 
characteristics  of  love.  Love  alone  has 
willed  to  turn  itself  into  Blood,  in  order  to 
save  us,  since  salvation  could  be  procured 
only  through  the  Blood  of  the  Man-God.  It 
was  love  alone  that  urged  Him  to  pour  it 
forth.  In  fine,  it  is  only  love  that  gives 
gratuitously,  that  gives  without  counting 
the  cost,  that  gives  without  regret :  "  Chris- 
tus  dilexit  nos  et  lavit  nos  in  Sanguine  suo: 
—Christ  hath  loved  us,  and  washed  us  in 
His  own  Blood  "(1). 

(1)     Apoc.  i,  5. 


224:     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Let  us  apply  our  soul  to  the  source  of  the 
Precious  Blood  that  we  may  taste  abund 
antly  of  its  effusions  and  bless  it  in  them. 
The   liberal,   the  prodigal   Heart  of  Jesus 
shed  it  by  the  wound  of  the  Circumcision 
made  in  the  tender  flesh  of  the  Infant  of 
eight  days,  by  the  ruddy  sweat  that  bathed 
the  whole  person  of  the  Man-God  in  His 
agony,  by  the  furrows  opened  on  His  shoul 
ders  and  His  breast,  by  the  biting  blows  of 
the  flagellation,  and  by  the  punctures  in  His 
forehead  and  head  made  by  the  sharp  thorns 
of  the  mock  crown.     Again,  did  that  Heart 
shed  Its  life-blood  through  the  cruel  wounds 
dug   by  the   weight   of   the   Cross   on   His 
sacred   shoulder,   and   those   of   His   knees 
from  the  triple  fall  on  the  way  to  Calvary; 
through  the  gaping  wounds  of  His  hands 
and  feet;  and  lastly,  through  the  opening 
in  His  side  made  by  the  lance  after  death. 

All  the  Blood  of  the  Sacred  Heart  flowed 
even  to  the  last  drop  in  those  successive 
effusions. 

But  not  yet  satisfied,  and  desiring  to  give 
all  at  one  stroke,  He  took  the  Eucharistic 
chalice  and,  presenting  it  to  all  men  of  all 
times^,  He  gave  to  each  the  whole  plenitude 
of  His  Blood !  And  when  all  have  satiated 


Fifteenth  Day.  225 

their  thirst,  it  still  remains  in  all  its  ful 
ness,  always  offered,  always  fresh,  always 
sweet,  always  inebriating :  "  Calix  cui 
benedicimus,  nonne  conininnicatio  Sanguinis 
Christi  est? — The  chalice  which  we  bless,  is 
it  not  the  communion  of  the  Blood  of 
Christ  ?"(!) 

Flowing  over  the  Eucharistic  cup,  the 
Precious  Blood,  propelled  by  the  Sacred 
Heart,  runs  through  the  channels  of  the 
Sacraments  and  Sacramentals,  finds  an  out 
let  in  Indulgences,  in  the  institutions  of  the 
Church,  in  the  Supreme  Pontificate,  in  the 
episcopacy  and  the  priesthood,  in  that  ad 
mirable  economy  of  actual  graces,  which 
stretches  like  a  net-work  over  souls,  anJ 
whose  salutary  action  is  everywhere  felt! 

Not  only  in  the  Church  Suffering  does 
the  Sacred  Heart  pour  out  with  Its  redeem 
ing  Blood  floods  of  relief,  light  and  peace, 
it  shoots  its  luminous  jets  up  to  heaven, 
where  they  fill  the  saints  with  new  joys  and 
the  Most  Holy  Trinity  with  satisfaction  and 
glory. 

How  is  it  possible  not  to  taste  even  to 
inebriation  the  invigorating  joys  of  grati- 


(1)   I  Cor.  x,  16. 


226     The  Eucharist  ic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

tude  when  we  drink  at  the  source  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  accessible  to  all,  the  living 
waters  of  the  Precious  Blood,  which  love 
sends  forth  with  eagerness  so  spontaneous, 
with  abundance  so  liberal,  with  persever 
ance  so  magnificent:  "  El  calix  meus  ine- 
brians,  quani  prae  clams  est! — And  my 
chalice  which  inebriateth  me,  how  goodly  is 
it !  "  What  can  prevent  us  from  intoning 
with  gladness  the  canticle  of  thanksgiving: 
"  Calicem  salutaris  accipiam  et  nomen 
Domini  invocabo. — I  will  take  the  chalice  of 
salvation,  and  I  will  call  upon  the  name  of 
the  Lord" (1). 

REPARATION. 

"In  remissionem  peccatorum — This  is 
My  Blood  of  the  new  testament  which  shall 
be  shed  for  many  unto  remission  of 
sins  "(2). 

It  was  for  the  remission  of  the  sins  with 
which  Christ  charged  Himself  that  He  shed 
His  Blood.  This  determinative  reason  for 
the  effusion  of  the  Precious  Blood  neces 
sarily  impressed  upon  it  the  character  of 
humiliation  and  suffering,  because  it  was  an 


(1)  Ps.  cxv. 

(2)  Matt,   xxvi,   28. 


Fifteenth  Day.  227 

expiatory  punishment  imposed  and  accepted. 
And  the  Sacred  Heart,  the  luminous  source 
of  every  joy,  became  the  dark  and  sorrow 
ful  piscina,  in  which  sinners  ought  to  wash 
away  their  stains  in  the  humiliation  and 
sorrow  of  penitence :  "  In  die  ilia  erit  fons 
patens  in  ablutionem  peccatoris — In  that 
day  there  shall  be  a  fountain  open  for  the 
washing  of  the  sinner  "(I)- 

Approaching  with  fear  and  contrition  to 
the  Sacred  Heart  in  the  Sacrament  which  is 
a  memorial  of  His  Passion,  we  shall  see  how 
cruel  and  ignominious  were  the  effusions 
of  the  Precious  Blood  when  the  Sacred  Vic 
tim  was  capable  of  suffering;  and  we  shall 
discern,  also,  that  even  now,  when  endowed 
with  impassibility,  It  embraces  a  state  of 
humiliation  which  forcibly  recalls  the  abase 
ment  of  His  Passion  and  death.  The  sight 
ought  to  fill  us  with  as  much  compassion 
for  the  sweet  and  patient  Victim  of  our 
crimes  as  contempt  for  ourselves  and  hatred 
for  sin. 

Certainly,  there  are  some  glorious  oc 
casions  to  shed  one's  blood ;  for  instance,  it 
covers  the  soldier  with  a  glorious  and 


(1)  Zach.  xiii,  1. 


228     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

coveted  purple  when  it  gushes  from  wounds 
received  in  defence  of  "  his  altars  and  his 
fires."  But  to  shed  it  under  the  blows  of 
the  public  executioner,  is  the  very  depth  of 
ignominy.  Now,  Jesus,  the  Holy  One, 
poured  out  His  in  the  Garden,  prostrate, 
His  face  to  the  earth,  weighed  down  by  fear 
and  sadness,  and  upon  the  Cross,  despised 
and  abandoned  by  His  Father,  as  a  culprit 
condemned  by  the  divine  wrath.  He  poured 
it  out  under  blows,  rods,  and  nails,  like  i 
criminal  executed  by  public  justice.  His 
Heart  thrilled  with  indignation  under  the 
undeserved  chastisement,  the  cruel  outrage 
done  Him ;  but  at  the  same  time,  He  abased 
Himself  in  humble  resignation,  since  we  had 
merited  them,  we  whose  place  He  had 
taken!  Ah,  with  what  excess  of  love  He 
pours  out  every  drop,  He  who  was  so  deli 
cate  and  sensitive,  although  its  effusion 
was  provoked  by  the  barbarous  whips, 
clubs,  and  nails,  by  the  cruel  flagellation, 
the  crowning  with  thorns,  and  the  Cruci 
fixion  ! 

The  mysterious  effusion  of  the  Conse 
cration  or  of  the  Eucharistic  Communion 
is  not  less  humiliating,  even  when  cele 
brated  by  saints  for  the  good  of  saints, 


Fifteenth  Day.  229 

since  it  reduces  the  immortal  Christ  to  the 
state  of  a  mere  potion.  But  how  often, 
alas !  is  It  accompanied  by  indifference,  if 
not  by  contempt,  treason,  and  profanation ! 
How  often  It  wins  but  ingratitude  or  even 
hatred !  It  is  the  Blood  of  the  Immaculate 
Lamb  sullied  by  contact  with  impurity: 
"  Sanguinem  Testamenti  pollutum  "(1).  It 
is  the  Blood  of  the  Resurrection  condemned 
to  bring  forth  death.  It  is  the  supreme  out 
rage  which  for  all  eternity  renders  a  man 
guilty  of  the  "  Blood  of  the  Lord :  Reus 
zrit  Sanguinis  Domini "(2). 

And  how  many  other  abuses  and  profa 
nations,  how  much  contempt  and  squander 
ing  of  the  Precious  Blood  by  mortal,  by 
venial  sin,  in  the  bad  or  imperfect  use  of 
the  Sacraments  and  infidelity  to  grace ! 

What  injuries,  what  humiliations  for  the 
Precious  Blood,  a  single  drop  of  which  is 
worth  more  than  innumerable  worlds,  and 
would  suffice  to  redeem  them  all  were  they 
created !  But  what  bitter  deception  for  the 
Heart  that  poured  it  out  at  the  price  of  so 
many  sacrifices  so  generously  embraced! 

(1)  Heb.  x,  29. 

(2)  I   Cor.   xi,   27. 


230     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Reparation !  Consolation !  Compassion 
for  the  Sacred  Heart  which  vainly  sheds  Its 
Precious  Blood  "  for  the  remission  of  in 
numerable  sins !  "  Contrition,  humility, 
sorrow  for  our  sins! 

PETITION. 

"  This  is  My  Blood  which  was  shed  for 
you  ! — Qui  pro  vobis  effundetur." 

These  words  tell  us  that  the  effusion  of 
the  adorable  Blood  at  the  Last  Supper  and 
on  the  altar,  as  well  as  on  Calvary,  was  of 
fered  to  God  as  a  pacific  Host,  or  an  im- 
petratory  Sacrifice,  to  obtain  for  men  all  the 
divine  benefits  of  which  they  have  need  in 
time  in  order  to  obtain  the  Eternal  Good. 

The  Sacred  Heart  here  disclosing  Itself 
behind  the  double  veil  of  the  sacramental 
Species  and  the  Breast  of  Jesus,  like  a  living 
sanctuary  in  which  the  Precious  Blood,  pure 
and  august  priest,  enveloped  in  its  splendid 
purple,  exercises  its  eternal  Priesthood.  It 
offers  to  God  its  prayers  in  the  name  of  all 
men  whom  it  has  redeemed.  It  sends  up 
its  voice  even  to  the  Father's  throne  inter 
ceding  for  earth  and  pleading  the  cause  of 
sinners.  At  length,  it  appears  before  the 
face  of  the  Father  in  the  lustre  of  its  bril- 


Fifteenth  Day.  231 

liant  charms,  in  the  omnipotence  of  its  love, 
with  the  infinite  merits  of  its  sufferings, 
and  the  rights  conferred  on  it  by  its  vic 
tories.  How  could  God  remain  deaf  to  the 
voice  of  the  Blood  of  Jesus,  more  eloquent 
than  that  of  Abel's  blood,  which  cried  for 
vengeance,  while  that  of  Jesus  asks  only  for 
mercy?  Why  should  the  Father  not  thrill 
with  joy  at  the  voice  of  His  own  Blood,  for 
it  is  the  Blood  of  His  Well-Beloved  Son 
that  sounds  in  His  ear.  Again,  God  is  the 
debtor  of  the  Precious  Blood.  He  promised 
His  Son,  if  He  would  consent  to  sacrifice 
Himself  to  His  justice,  to  give  Him 
sovereign  dominion  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 
Now,  this  means  the  disposal  of  all  the 
treasures  of  grace  and  glory. 

If  the  Divine  Majesty  sees  Jesus  in  His 
glory  in  heaven,  retaining  of  His  past  com 
bats  only  the  marks  of  the  Five  Wounds, 
which  shine  in  His  hands  and  feet  like  bril 
liant  rubies,  He  beholds  Him  at  the  same 
time  humbly  poured  out  in  the  poor  form 
of  some  drops  of  ordinary  wine.  He  sees 
Him  annihilated  in  dust  and  ashes,  hiding 
His  beauty  and  glory  under  the  dense  veil 
of  the  Sacrament,  constantly  pouring  forth 
His  prayer  of  self-abasement  while  multi- 


%32     The  Encharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

plying  His  Divine  Presence  on  altars  all 
over  this  vale  of  misery  and  tears. 

What  an  omnipotent  prayer  is  that  of  the 
Precious  Blood,  issuing  from  the  Sacred 
Heart  with  such  love  and  innocence,  en 
riched  with  so  many  merits,  accompanied  by 
self-oblation  so  perfect,  manifested  by  im 
molation  so  entire  upon  so  many  altars,  and 
continued  both  in  heaven  and  on  earth  with 
perseverance  so  unwearied! 

Let  us,  then,  always  pray  in  union  with 
the  Precious  Blood  and  through  the 
Precious  Blood.  Let  us  plunge  our  peti 
tions  into  the  Precious  Blood.  Tinted  with 
its  hues,  so  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God, 
purified  by  its  purity,  penetrated  by  its 
virtues,  enriched  with  its  merits,  our 
prayers  will  surely  be  acceptable  to  God 
and  will  gain  what  they  ask.  "  Te  ergo 
quaesumus,  Domine,  tuis  famulis  subveni, 
quos  pretioso  Sanguine  redemisti! — We  be 
seech  Thee,  O  Lord,  help  Thy  servants 
whom  Thou  hast  redeemed  with  Thy 
Precious  Blood!" 

Let  us  sprinkle  ourselves  spiritually  with 
the  Precious  Blood  when  we  pray,  and  let 
us  pour  it  over  all  for  whom  we  intercede, 
for  every  oblation  sprinkled  with  blood  is 


Fifteenth  Day.  233 

agreeable  to  God.  We  cannot  better  enter 
into  the  designs  of  the  Sacred  Heart  than  by 
incessantly  drawing  from  It  the  redeeming 
Blood  to  pour  it  over  the  souls  of  sinners, 
over  those  of  the  just  who  are  still  com 
bating,  and  over  those  that  are  suffering  in 
the  purifying  flames. 

"  The  Precious  Blood  conquers,  and  it 
is  for  God  that  it  makes  its  conquests.  It 
invades  the  kingdom  of  darkness  and 
illumines  whole  countries  with  the  rays  of 
its  brilliant  light.  It  puts  down  rebels, 
brings  back  exiles  to  their  country,  and  re 
claims  wanderers.  It  re-establishes  peace, 
grants  amnesties,  and  wonderfully  adminis 
ters  the  kingdom  which  it  has  marvellously 
conquered.  It  is  the  crown,  the  sceptre,  and 
the  throne  of  the  invisible  royalty  of 
God!"  (1) 

Let  us  not  end  this  hour  of  adoration 
without  asking  for  the  grace  and  taking  the 
resolution  ever  to  make  good  use  of  the 
Precious  Blood,  by  fidelity  to  grace  and  the 
accomplishment  of  every  duty,  by  patience 
in  suffering  and  zeal  to  receive  the  Sacra 
ments  eagerly  and  fervently.  May  one  of 


(1)     Father  Faber. 


234:     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

our  most  habitual  aspirations  be  that  which 
the  priest  recites  at  the  moment  of  receiving 
the  Adorable  Blood:  "  May  the  Blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  guard  my  soul  to  eternal  life ! — 
Sanguis  Jesu  Christi  custodiat  animam 
meam  in  vitam  aeternam!" 

Pray  for  an  increase  of  religious  vo 
cations. 

Eternal  Father,  I  offer  Thee  the  most 
precious  Blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  expiation 
of  my  sins  and  for  the  wants  of  Holy 
Church. 

(100  days'  Indulgence.') 


Sixteentb 

THE  EUCHARISTIC  HEART,  THE  MODEL  OF  ALL 
VIRTUES. 

Cor  Jesu,  virtutum  omnium  exemplar,  mise 
rere  nobis! 

ADORATION. 

ONE  of  the  most  clearly  marked  ends  of 
the  different  Revelations  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  both  of  the  evangelical  and  the 
Eucharistic  life  of  the  Saviour,  is  to  offer 
Himself  to  our  imitation  as  the  model  of  all 
virtues,  an  example  to  follow,  an  example 
at  one  and  the  same  time  the  most  perfect 
and  the  best  suited  to  our  weakness. 

At  Nairn,  the  Saviour,  calling  to  the 
crowds,  thus  addressed  them :  "  Come  to 
My  school,  become  My  disciples.  You  will 
never  find  a  master  so  good,  so  devoted,  so 
disinterested,  so  patient,  for  I  am  meek 
and  humble  of  Heart:  Discite  a  me}  quia 
mitis  sum  et  humilis  Corde."  And  again, 
which  amounts  to  almost  the  same : 
"  Learn  of  Me,  by  coming  to  Me,  by  stay- 

235 


236     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

ing  with  Me,  by  living  with  Me,  how  meek 
and  humble  of  Heart  I  am — Discite  a  me, 
quia  mills  sum  et  humilis  Corde" 

At  Paray,  "  My  Well-Beloved  presented 
Himself  to  me,"  says  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary,  "  and  said :  '  I  intend  to  make  thee 
read  in  the  Book  of  Life  wherein  is  con 
tained  the  science  of  love/  Then  disclos 
ing  to  me  His  Heart,  He  let  me  read  these 
words :  '  My  love  reigns  in  suffering,  it 
triumphs  in  humility,  and  it  enjoys  in 
unity.' '  Love,  patience  in  suffering, 
humility,  meekness  toward  the  neighbor, 
union  with  God  by  prayer  and  conformity 
with  His  will,  resemblance  carried  so  far 
as  even  moral  unity — behold  what  is  shown 
forth  in  Him,  what  He  teaches,  and 
what  He  desires  all  to  imitate  in 
His  Sacred  Heart.  He  is,  at  once, 
the  Master  and  the  Model  of  holiness. 
What  He  has  Himself  practised,  He  com 
municates  to  souls  and  impresses  upon  them. 
Again,  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary :  "  As 
soon  as  I  began  to  pray,  my  Sovereign 
Master  showed  me  that  my  soul  was  a  piece 
of  canvas  upon  which  He  desired  to  paint 
the  features  of  His  own  suffering  life,  which 
had  been  spent  in  love  and  privation,  in 


Sixteenth  Day.  237 

silence  and  labor,  and  which  ended  in  sac 
rifice.  He  gave  me  to  understand  that  He 
was  going  to  impress  it  on  my  soul  after 
purifying  it  from  every  stain  that  might  re 
main  in  it,  as  well  from  affection  to  earthly 
things  as  from  love  for  creatures  for  whom 
I  felt  some  natural  inclination.  But  He  de 
spoiled  me  at  this  moment  of  everything 
and,  after  having  emptied  my  heart  and 
stripped  my  soul,  He  enkindled  therein  so 
great  a  desire  to  love  Him  and  to  suffer 
that  I  had  no  repose,  so  occupied  was  I  with 
the  thought  of  what  I  could  do  to  love  Him 
and  to  crucify  myself." 

We  cannot  doubt  that  the  Sacred  Heart 
reveals  Itself  as  the  living  and  magnetic 
model  of  all  the  virtues  that  are  comprised 
in  perfection  and  holiness.  The  heart  is 
the  symbol  of  the  soul,  the  source  of  vir 
tuous  acts,  which  are  such  only  on  account 
of  their  conformity  with  reason.  It  is  the 
symbol  of  the  will,  whose  free  adhesion  to 
the  moral  beauty  of  those  acts  and  its  effort 
to  produce  them,  in  spite  of  contrary  pas 
sions,  bestow  upon  them  their  value  and 
merit.  It  is,  in  fine,  the  symbol  of  love,  the 
life  of  every  virtue,  as  being  the  power 
that  tends  to  the  possession  of  good  by  its 
17 


238      The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

resemblance  to  God,  the  Infinite  Good,  the 
substantial  Perfection. 

This  increated  Perfection,  our  eye.s 
wounded  by  sin  can  no  longer  view  in  super 
natural  light.  To  punish  man  for  his  rash 
curiosity  and  foolish  pretention  to  gain  by 
his  own  efforts  the  knowledge  of  God,  Df 
good,  and  of  evil,  that  blessed  light  was 
hidden  from  him.  By  merely  natural  light, 
dimmed  as  it  is  by  heavy  shadows,  he  can 
but  very  imperfectly  understand  the  divine 
and  adequate  Image  of  the  Word  come  in 
immense  pity  to  bring  to  the  world,  by  mak 
ing  Himself  man,  a  created,  finite  image 
proportioned  to  the  weakness  of  our  sighf,. 
and  to  manifest  the  transcendent  perfection 
of  God  in  human  virtues.  He  teaches  their 
nature,  proclaims  their  necessity,  promise  ^ 
their  magnificent  recompense,  and  thus 
makes  them  known  to  the  world. 

But  as  in  the  matter  of  morality,  example 
is  more  efficacious  than  precept,  He  Him 
self  practised  perfectly  every  virtue  de 
manded  by  the  various  states  through  which 
He  successively  passed.  He  was  a  child 
growing  in  wisdom  and  grace ;  a  youth 
laborious  and  submissive  to  His  parents ;  an 
apostle,  prepared  by  penance  and  devotedly 
consuming  Himself  in  the  service  of  the 


Sixteenth  Day.  239 

people;  a  mediator  passing  whole  nights 
prostrate  in  prayer.  He  was  the  inexhaus 
tible  benefactor  of  the  needy;  the  compas 
sionate  physician  of  all  maladies;  the  wel 
come  consoler,  patient  and  gentle  under  all 
trials ;  the  faithful  and  disinterested  friend ; 
the  intrepid  champion  of  truth;  the  cour 
ageous  defender  of  justice;  the  invincible 
vindicator  of  the  rights  and  honor  of  His 
Father ;  in  fine,  the  heroic  victim  freely  of 
fered  to  Divine  Justice  for  the  salvation  of 
the  world.  He  endured  every  sorrow, 
every  unmerited  ignominy  in  sublime 
silence,  with  strength  that  overcame  death  it 
self,  and  in  abandonment  to  the  will  of 
God,  which  was  for  Him  the  triumph  of 
love.  All  these  virtues  He  practise  1 
in  exact  measure,  with  no  excess,  with 
perfect  balance.  The  one  did  not  in 
jure  the  other,  and  He  presented  them 
in  a  manner  imitable  by  all  men  of  good  will. 
Without  demanding  anything  impossible, 
He  could  say :  "  Exeinplum  enim  dcdit 
vobis,  ut  quemadmodum  ego  fed  vobis,  ita 
et  vos  faciatis — For  I  have  given  you  an 
example  that,  as  I  have  done  to  you,  so 
you  do  also  "  (1). 


(1)     John  xiii,  15. 


240     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

By  inviting  us  to  study  the  examples  of 
His  virtues  in  His  Heart,  the  Master  wished 
to  make  them  more  lovable,  consequently, 
He  encourages  us  with  the  words :  "  Ve- 
nite  ad  me  omnes! — Come  ye  all  to  Me."  He 
wished  to  sweeten,  to  lighten  the  practice  of 
virtue,  which  restrains  and  mortifies  the 
passions :  "  Jugum  meum  dulce  et  onus 
nieum  leve — My  yoke  is  sweet  and  My 
burden  light."  By  proclaiming  His  Heart 
meek  and  humble,  He  wished  to  show  us 
His  great  condescension  in  making  Him 
self  all  to  all,  demanding  of  everyone  only 
what  he  can  give.  He  shows,  also,  His 
patience  in  supporting  our  sluggishness  and 
delays,  His  compassion  in  raising  us  up 
when  we  fall  and  receiving  us  after  in 
fidelity  more  or  less  prolonged :  Discite  a 
me,  quiet  mills  sum  et  humilis  Corde.  He 
wished,  in  fine,  that  the  works  and  struggles 
of  virtue,  however  painful,  however  sor 
rowful  they  may  be  at  certain  times,  should 
be  performed  without  too  great  trouble  of 
soul,  that  they  should  leave  it  in  the  pos 
session  of  a  peace  too  exquisite  to  be  any 
other  than  celestial  and  a  foretaste  of  the 
eternal  repose  promised  to  such  as  shall 
have  fought  to  the  end :  "  Requiem  invc- 


Sixteenth  Day.  241 

nietis    animabus    vestris — You    shall    find 
peace  to  your  souls." 

THANKSGIVING. 

We  shall  go,  then,  to  the  school  of  Thy 
Heart,  O  infinitely  good  Master !  We  shall 
enter  therein  and  try  to  see  all  Its  virtues. 
We  shall  make  profession  of  dwelling  there 
in,  and  we  shall  comprehend  their  beauty, 
taste  their  charm,  accept  their  law  and 
sacrifices.  We  shall  draw  from  Its  inex 
haustible  treasures  the  grace,  the  strength, 
and  the  helps  we  need.  Confiding  in  Its 
guidance,  our  own  heart  closely  united  to  It, 
we  shall  apply  courageously  and  persever- 
ingly  to  the  practice  of  Its  virtues  in  order 
to  please  and  glorify  Thee! 

We  have  heard  Thee  say  to  Thy  faithful 
confidante :  "  Enter,  My  daughter,  into 
this  delicious  garden  that  thou  mayst  revive 
thy  languishing  soul."  She  understood 
that  He  meant  the  garden  of  His  Sacred 
Heart,  the  diversity  of  whose  flowers  is  as 
delightful  as  their  beauty  is  admirable. 
"  After  I  had  looked  at  them,  but  without 
daring  to  touch  them,  He  said  to  me :  '  Cull 
what  thou  pleasest ! ' "  O  beauty !  O 


242     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

liberality !  O  magnificence  of  the  Heart  of 
a  God  become  Man  in  order  to  enrich  man 
with  all  the  treasures  of  Its  perfection  and 
holiness ! 

When  example  is  directly  under  our  eyes, 
the  more  powerfully  does  it  excite  us  to 
imitation.  Certainly  those  from  the  mortal 
life  of  the  Saviour,  preserved  with  their 
circumstantial  and  vigorous  details  in  the 
holy  Gospels,  may  be  said  to  be  present 
under  the  eyes  of  all  generations.  The 
Spirit  of  Life  which  animates  every  one  of 
their  syllables  gives  to  their  assertions  a 
supernatural  vigor  capable  of  penetrating 
the  coldest  hearts  and  leading  them  to  imi 
tation.  The  generous  Restorer  of  the 
moral  world  was  not  satisfied  with  leaving 
to  us  the  book  of  His  Gospels,  in  which  His 
virtues  are  engraven  in  characters  deeper 
and  more  lasting  than  the  precepts  of  the 
Law  upon  the  tables  of  Sinai.  He  wished 
to  be  here  below  and  until  the  end  of  time 
the  living  Exemplar  of  all  sanctity.  That 
is  one  of  His  reasons  for  instituting  the 
Holy  Eucharist.  He  desires  to  be  able  to 
show  Himself  present  at  all  times  and  in  all 
parts  of  the  world,  to  be  able  to  say  to 
every  one  of  its  inhabitants :  "  Look  and 


Sixteenth  Day.  243 

do  according  to  the  example  that  I  give 
you !  "  When,  at  the  Last  Supper,  He  was 
explaining  the  effects  that  His  Flesh  ought 
to  produce  in  the  soul  of  those  that  would 
receive  It,  He  said :  "  He  that  eateth  M\ 
Flesh  abideth  in  Me,  and  I  in  him.  He  that 
keeps  My  commandments  loves  Me  and 
abides  in  Me ;  and  I  will  love  him  and 
manifest  Myself  to  him — Et  ego  diligam 
eum  et  manifestabo  ei  meipsum"  (1).  This 
intimate  manifestation,  this  interior  revela 
tion  is,  without  doubt,  that  of  the  grandeur 
and  the  mysteries  of  the  Divinity  and  the 
Humanity  of  Jesus.  But  what  more  ad 
mirably  grand,  what  more  harmoniously 
mysterious  than  His  virtues  at  once  divine 
and  human,  in  which  are  allied  so  much 
sovereign  power,  so  much  humility,  and  so 
much  human  weakness?  Jesus  will  reveal 
the  secrets  of  all  this  to  him  who,  having 
received  sacramentally,  will  abide  in  com 
munion  of  spirit  with  Him  by  doing  His 
will. 

Again,  He  said :  "  I  am  the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life — Ego  sum  via,  veritas, 
et  vita."  He  is  the  true  way,  the  living 

(1)   John  xiv,  21. 


244     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

way,  the  way  that  leads  to  life  by  the 
illumined  paths  on  which,  walking  after 
Him,  we  cannot  wander  in  the  darkness  of 
error.  Way  and  example  are  here  syn 
onymous,  for  if  the  example  invites  to 
action,  the  way  leads  us  on.  Jesus  has, 
then,  instituted  the  Eucharist  in  order  to 
lead  us  to  perfect  life,  namely,  His  own  life 
and  that  of  His  Father,  and  He  assures  us 
that  all  who  eat  His  Flesh  live  that  life.  To 
allow  one's  self  to  be  guided  by  Him,  to 
follow  Him,  to  tread  in  His  footsteps,  is  to 
imitate  His  virtues  and  reproduce  His  life. 
That  this  way  may  be  always  open  before 
us,  it  is  found  all  over  the  earth,  like  a 
royal  road  leading  from  all  points  of  our 
exile  to  our  eternal  home. 

The  Saviour  again  tells  us :  "  He  that 
eateth  My  Flesh  abideth  in  Me,  and  he  that 
abideth  in  Me  beareth  much  fruit — Qui 
manet  in  Me,  hie  fert  fructum  multum." 
This  fruit  which,  without  Him,  we  cannot 
bear,  which  ripens  only  upon  the  branch 
vitally  united  to  the  trunk  of  the  vine,  is 
evidently  the  fruit  of  the  supernatural  vir 
tues  which,  borne  first  by  Jesus,  ought  to 
extend  to  us  and  ripen  in  us,  who  are  shoots 
ingrafted  on  the  divine  stock.  As  every 


Sixteenth  Day.  245 

branch  is  nourished  by  sap  from  the  trunk, 
which  it  passes  on  into  the  fruits  produced 
among  its  foliage,  so  the  Christian  virtues 
are  produced,  developed,  and  nourished  by 
the  sap  of  Jesus  Christ  poured  into  the  soul 
by  the  sacramental  manducation  of  His 
Flesh.  The  Saviour  here  lays  down  His 
Eucharist  as  a  fundamental  condition  for 
the  production  of  the  virtues.  It  is  in  It 
that  we  must  receive  them,  by  It  that  we 
must  nourish  them,  with  It  that  we  must 
practise  them.  But  as  the  virtues  are 
things  essentially  spiritual  and,  conse 
quently,  rational,  things  of  intelligence 
which  comprehends  them,  and  things  of  the 
will  which  turns  to  them  freely,  we  can 
know  them  only  when  Jesus  shows  them  to 
us,  and  we  are  borne  to  them  only  when  He 
attracts  us  and  gives  us  the  strength  to  fol 
low  His  attraction.  Hence,  the  institution 
of  His  Eucharistic  Presence,  to  reveal  to  us 
His  virtues  by  sowing  in  us  the  seed,  by 
cultivating  and  nourishing  it,  by  sheltering 
it  from  the  storms  of  the  passions  and  of 
the  world,  and  from  the  destructive  tem 
pests  of  sin. 

In  His  Sacramental  Presence,  which  will 
last  as  long  as  the  world,  just  as  during 

18 


246     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

His  mortal  life  of  thirty-three  years  under 
the  skies  of  Galilee  and  Judea,  He  calls  men 
to  His  Heart  that  they  may  learn  there  to 
understand  and  imitate  His  virtues.  "  Abid- 
in  Me,  abide  in  My  love — Manete  in  me,  ma- 
net  e  in  dilectione  meal''  And  He  drew 
John  down  upon  His  Heart  in  order  to  re 
veal  to  Him  all  Its  secrets,  to  communicate 
to  him  all  Its  virtues,  and  to  transform  him 
into  His  other  Self. 

What  passed  in  the  Cenacle  was  repro 
duced  at  Paray.  "  Showing  me  one  day 
His  loving  Heart,"  says  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary,  "  He  said  to  me :  '  Behold  the 
Teacher  whom  I  give  to  thee,  from  whom 
thou  wilt  learn  all  that  thou  shouldst  do  for 
My  love.  Thou  shalt  be  Its  well-beloved 
disciple.'  "  Let  us  now  see  how  this  great 
Master  of  love  acted  in  her  regard: 
"  Being  one  day  before  the  Blessed  Sacra 
ment,  I  felt  myself  encompassed  by  the 
Divine  Presence.  He  made  me  rest  a  long 
time  on  His  breast,  discovering  to  me  the 
marvels  of  His  love  and  the  inexplicable 
secrets  of  His  Sacred  Heart.  He  disclosed 
It  to  me  in  a  manner  effective  and  sensible, 
saying :  '•  My  Divine  Heart  is  so  passion- 
atelv  in  love  with  men  that,  not  being  able 


Sixteenth  Day.  247 

to  contain  the  flames  of  Its  burning  love,  It 
must  of  necessity  pour  them  forth,  mani 
fest  them,  in  order  to  enrich  them  with  Its 
precious  treasures,  which  contain  the  sanc 
tifying  graces  and  all  that  is  necessary  to 
withdraw  them  from  the  abyss  of  per 
dition.'  ' 

"  Sanctifying  graces,"  the  graces  of  sanc- 
tification  for  the  soul,  are,  indeed,  the  graces 
of  the  Christian  virtues,  whose  sustained 
and  progressive  culture  constitute  the  per 
fection  of  the  Christian  in  every  state. 
They  are  poured  into  the  soul  by  the  Sacra 
ments,  above  all  by  the  Eucharist,  first,  like 
so  many  seeds,  and  then  as  the  forces  that 
germinate  those  seeds  and  develop  them 
more  and  more  perfectly.  But  they  also  act 
morally  on  the  soul,  enlightening  it,  stirring- 
it  up,  and  encouraging  it  to  imitate  its 
Model. 


REPARATION. 


But,  O  good  Master,  in  the  bread,  in  that 
state  of  material  inertia  in  which  Thou  hast 
chosen  to  remain  amongst  us,  can  we  truly 
say  that  Thou  dost  practise  the  virtues,  and 
that  they  are  sufficiently  apparent  to  serve 
us  for  models  of  imitation?  That  such  is 


£48     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

true  of  Thy  life  spent  among  men  during 
Thy  mortal  existence,  which  flowed  on  in  a 
human  manner  under  the  eyes  of  all,  we  well 
know.  The  Gospel  preserves,  living  and 
ineffable,  Thy  touching  and  admirable  ex 
amples  of  all  virtues.  But  in  this  sacra 
mental  existence,  speechless,  .  motionless, 
hidden,  with  no  external  relations  with  men 
—how  admit,  how  see  Thy  virtues? 

I  hear  Thee  answering  me  through 
Catholic  doctrine  that  Thou  hast  freely 
chosen  the  exterior  signs  of  the  Sacra 
ments  to  express  sensibly  what  their  spir 
itual  reality  operates  spiritually,  and 
that  this  is  true  of  the  Eucharist  as  of  all 
the  other  Sacraments.  Still  more,  that 
while  in  them  Thou  dost  act  only  by  a  power 
distinct  from  Thyself  and  limited  to  the 
moment  in  which  they  are  applied  to  the 
soul,  under  the  Eucharistic  Sign,  so  long 
as  It  retains  Its  integrity,  Thou  dost  remain 
personally  present  and  living.  In  fine,  that 
it  is  Thyself,  although  invisible,  who,  freely 
and  by  a  personal  action,  in  which  Thou  art 
visibly  seconded  by  the  priest,  dost  con 
stantly  renew  in  the  Holy  Sacrifice  Thy 
Sacramental  Presence. 

From  these  certain  principles  there  evi- 


Sixteenth  Day.  249 

dently  flow  these  consequences,  namely, 
that  if  the  sensible  sign  of  the  bread  tells  of 
the  spiritual  nutriment  of  the  soul  operated 
by  the  Eucharist,  the  materiality  of  this 
same  bread,  its  inertia  and  dependence,  its 
mean  appearance,  speak  just  as  clearly 
of  the  humility  of  Him  who,  in  order 
to  remain  therein,  annihilates  Himself 
to  this  state  of  matter,  although  He 
is  Man,  of  glorified  condition,  and  already 
in  possession  of  His  eternal  kingdom.  The 
outward  signs  of  the  Eucharist  tell  of 
Christ's  submission  and  obedience  to  the 
laws  of  nature  from  which  His  glorified 
state  has  freed  Him,  and  to  the  will  of  man 
over  whom  He  has  acquired  the  indisputable 
right  to  reign.  They  tell  of  His  love  of 
poverty,  mortification,  and  silence,  which 
He  displays  in  this  state  which  binds  His 
lips,  closes  His  eyes  to  every  external  sight, 
chains  His  members,  and  gives  Him  for 
abode  a  perishable  Host,  a  crumb  of  bread, 
poorer  than  the  poorest  coverings  of  the 
most  destitute  beggar.  The  multiplication 
of  the  Host,  which  places  Him  unceasingly 
at  the  service  of  all ;  His  manner  of  giving 
Himself  by  manducation,  which  delivers 
Him  unreservedly  to  all  for  their  good ;  His 


250     The  Euchanstic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

abiding  Presence  daily  renewed — do  not  all 
these  tell  us  of  the  most  perfect  love  for  all 
those  of  whom,  only  Son  of  God  as  He  is, 
He  has  willed  to  become  the  neighbor,  in 
order  to  contract  the  obligation  of  loving 
them  as  brethren,  of  dying,  of  rising  from 
the  tomb,  and  of  incessantly  renewing  the 
double  miracle  of  His  life  and  His  death 
for  their  advantage  alone  ?  And  lastly,  that 
sweetness,  that  longanimity,  that  absence 
of  retaliation,  and  even  of  resistance  in  sup 
porting  ingratitude,  contempt,  abandon 
ment,  outrage,  sacrilegious  attempts  and  the 
most  horrible  profanations — are  not  these 
the  sign  of  that  sublime  and  heroic  patience 
which,  sustained  by  the  victorious  strength 
of  love,  is  the  queen  of  virtues,  their  per 
fection  and  their  crown? 

Yes,  assuredly,  the  virtues  which  Thou 
dost  practise  in  the  Blessod  Sacrament  are 
real  and  true,  O  Eucharistic  Christ!  They 
are  visible  to  all  eyes,  since  it  is  sufficient 
to  look  upon  the  Host,  and  there  behold  the 
material  sign  of  the  bread  which  sensibly 
expresses  them !  They  recall  all  the  virtues 
of  Thy  life  and  continue  them  under  a  new 
form.  Shall  I  dare  affirm  that  this  Eucha 
ristic  form,  which  is  the  inspiration  of  Thv 


Sixteenth  Day.  251 

supreme  love,  by  which  Thou  hast  willed  to 
touch  the  limit  of  the  possible  in  point  of 
generosity  and  gift,  communicates  to  Thy 
virtues  the  same  character  of  perfection,  of 
completion,  of  having  reached  the  highest 
possible  degree:  In  finem  dilexit?  And  as 
it  is  Thy  love  in  its  consummation  which 
has  reduced  Thee  to  this  state,  and  led  Thee 
to  carry  Thy  virtues  to  a  point  that  cannot 
be  excelled,  it  is  to  Thy  Heart  that  we  owe 
those  inestimable  examples  that  incite  us  to 
holiness,  sustain  us  in  its  attainment,  and 
lead  us  to  perfect  resemblance  with  Thee, 
O  Jesus,  and  with  Thy  Father,  the  eternal 
Unity  of  beatitude !  It  is,  also,  Thy  Heart 
in  the  Sacrament  that  we  should  study  in 
our  adoration.  There  we  shall  learn  the 
secret  of  Thy  virtues,  and  to  It  we  should 
recur  for  grace  and  help ! 

Doing  this,  we  shall  follow  the  lessons 
of  her  whom  Thou  hast  crowned  with  the 
glorious  title  of  "  Well-beloved  disciple 
of  Thy  Heart,"  and  whom  we  shall  desire 
to  follow  as  a  consummate  mistress  in  the 
art  of  making  It  known.  Behold  the  very 
lucid  instruction  that  she  gave  her  novices 
to  impel  them  to  the  imitation  of  the  Eucha- 
ristic  virtues  of  Thy  Sacred  Heart : 


252     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

PETITION. 

COVENANT  OF  LOVE  TO  HONOR  THE  DIVINE 
HEART  OF  JESUS. 

"  Live  Jesus  in  the  heart  of  His  faithful 
servants  who  desire  to  consecrate  all  their 
actions  as  homage  to  His  Sacred  Heart 
in  the  Blessed  Sacrament! 

"  First,  in  the  morning,  after  having 
placed  ourselves  under  the  protection  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  let  us  beg  her  to  offer  us  to 
Jesus  in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament,  in 
order  to  render  homage  to  the  offering 
which  He  there  makes  of  Himself  to  the 
Eternal  Father.  Let  us  unite  our  soul  to 
His  that  He  may  preserve  it  from  sin,  our 
heart  to  His  Heart  that  He  may  consume 
in  it  all  that  is  displeasing  to  Him.  Thus 
must  we  unite  all  that  we  are  to  all  that  He 
is,  and  beg  Him  to  supply  for  what  is  want 
ing  in  us. 

"  Let  us  unite  our  prayer  to  that  which 
Jesus  makes  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  for 
us.  At  the  end  of  it  let  us  offer  to  God  that 
of  His  Divine  Son  to  repair  our  defects  and 
loss  of  time. 

"  At  the  Office,  let  us  unite  our  praises 
with  those  of  Jesus,  endeavoring  to  enter 
into  His  holy  dispositions  and  ardent  purity, 


Sixteenth  Day.  253 

that  He  may  in  everything  supply   for  us 
before  His  Divine  Father. 

"  He  is  obedient  to  priests  good  or  bad, 
He  places  Himself  in  their  hands  to  die 
therein  mystically,  assuming  the  character 
of  victim  in  order  to  allow  Himself  to  be 
sacrificed  and  immolated  according  to  their 
designs,  without  testifying  the  least  resist 
ance.  To  conform  myself  to  Him  I  shall 
be  prompt  to  obedience.  Like  a  victim  of 
immolation,  I  shall  place  myself  in  the 
hands  of  my  superioresses,  of  whatever  kind 
they  may  be,  in  order  that,  dying  to  my  own 
will,  passions,  inclinations,  and  aversions, 
they  may  dispose  of  me  in  any  way  they 
wish  without  my  manifesting  the  least  re 
pugnance.  The  violence  that  I  shall  do  my 
self  shall  be  to  honor  that  which  Jesus  does 
Himself  to  enter  into  souls  stained  by  sin. 
He  has  so  much  horror  of  them  that,  every 
time  He  enters  such  a  one,  He  renews  in  it 
the  mortal  agony  that  He  suffered  in  the 
Garden  of  Olives. 

"  His  life  is  entirely  hidden  from  the  eyes 
of  creatures,  who  perceive  naught  but  the 
poor,  vile  species  of  bread  and  wine.  In 
the  same  way,  I  shall  endeavor  to  keep  my 
self  so  hidden  that  I  shall  have  no  greater 
joy  than  to  allow  whatever  is  meanest  and 


254     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

most  abject  in  me  to  appear,  in  order  to 
keep  myself  concealed  under  the  dust  of 
humility,  by  the  rebuffs  and  contempt  of 
creatures.  Thus  shall  I  console  my  Jesus 
in  the  contempt,  injuries,  sacrileges,  prof 
anations,  and  other  indignities  He  receives 
in  this  hidden  life,  and  of  which  He  never 
complains.  For  the  same  reason,  I  shall 
neither  pity  nor  excuse  myself,  always  re 
membering  that  every  one  has  a  right  to  ac 
cuse  me,  humble  me,  and  make  me  suffer, 
since  the  love  of  the  Sacred  Heart  obliges 
me  to  endure  everything  without  lamenting 
or  saying  it  is  enough. 

"Jesus  is  always  solitary  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament,  conversing  therein  with 
God  alone.  To  conform  to  Him,  I  shall 
try  to  be  everywhere  alone,  conversing  in 
teriorly  only  with  my  Jesus.  My  under 
standing  shall  seek  to  know  Him  alone,  that 
my  mind  may  be  ever  attentive  to  adore 
Him  and  my  heart  ever  yearning  to  love 
Him. 

"  With  regard  to  the  life  of  the  senses, 
He  is  there  as  in  a  state  of  death.  I,  then, 
should  find  my  pleasure  in  having  none,  in 
renouncing  everything  that  could  procure 
me  any,  trying  to  mortify  everything  that 
brings  the  least  satisfaction. 


Sixteenth  Day.  255 

"  Jesus  made  Himself  poor  in  the  Most 
Blessed  Sacrament.  To  imitate  and  gain 
His  most  amiable  Heart,  I  must  forsake 
self,  despise  self,  and  be  well  pleased  that 
others  should  do  the  same  in  my  regard. 

"  Jesus  keeps  perpetual  silence,  which  I 
desire  to  imitate  by  interior  and  exterior 
silence,  speaking  only  by  the  order  of  my 
Rule  and  charity. 

"  O  Sacred  Heart  of  my  Jesus,  I  choose 
Thee  for  my  dwelling-place  that  Thou 
mayest  be  my  strength  in  combat,  the  sup 
port  of  my  weakness,  my  light  and  my 
guide  in  darkness  and  in  fine,  the  Repairer 
of  all  my  faults,  the  Sanctifier  of  all  my  in 
tentions  and  actions,  which  I  unite  to  Thine 
and  offer  to  Thee  to  prove  my  unceasing 
disposition  to  be  one  with  Thee !  " 

Cor  Jcsu,  exemplar  virtutum  omnium, 
miserere  nob-is! — Heart  of  Jesus,  Model  of 
all  virtues,  have  mercy  on  us ! 

To  honor  the  silence  of  Jesus  in  the  Host, 
endeavor  to  observe  such  silence  as  is 
compatible  with  your  state  of  life. 

O  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  I  confide  in 
Thee! 

(300  days'  Indulgence.) 


Sev>enteentb 

JESUS     HUMBLE     OF     HEART. 

SUBJECT. — "  D  is  cite  a  Me,  quia  mitis  sum 
et  humilis  Corde — Learn  of  me  that  I  am 
meek  and  humble  of  Heart."  The  subject  of 
this  adoration  is  the  study  of  the  meaning  of 
the  words:  " Humilis  Corde — Humble  of 
Heart."  What  sense  do  they  convey? 
What  do  they  mean?  What  do  they  re 
veal  to  us  of  the  Sacred  Heart?  What  do 
they  teach  us  and  what  do  they  exact  of  us  ? 
The  answer  to  these  questions  will  furnish 
us  with  ample  matter  for  adoration,  thanks 
giving,  reparation,  and  petition. 

Blessed  Margaret  Mary  writes  :  "  Look 
upon  Our  Lord  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  as 
the  Good  Master  who  says  to  you :  '  Learn 
of  Me  to  be  meek  and  humble  of  heart, 
otherwise  you  shall  not  be  recognized  nor 
loved  by  My  Heart,  which  will  not  acknowl 
edge  you  for  Its  disciples  unless  you  con 
form  to  It  by  the  practice  of  Its  holy 


256 


Seventeenth  Day.  257 


ADORATION. 


I  adore  Thee,  O  My  Master !  I  have 
heard  Thy  call.  I  come  to  Thy  school,  and 
I  want  to  know  the  full  meaning,  the  truth, 
and  the  depth  of  this  word  by  tasting  its 
grace  and  its  sweetness,  for  it  attracts  me 
as  much  by  its  sweetness  as  it  impresses 
me  by  its  solemn  gravity. 

"  Humble  of  Heart !  "  What  means  this 
declaration,  in  which  Thou  dost  appear  to 
define  Thyself,  to  discover  to  us  the  bottom 
of  Thy  soul,  to  reveal  to  us  the  secret  of 
Thy  life,  to  propose  Thyself  to  the  admira 
tion  as  well  as  to  the  love  of  men,  in  orde: 
to  gain  them,  to  succor  them  in  their  needs, 
to  console  them  in  their  pains? 

How  important  for  us  to  understand  the 
"  Humility  of  Thy  Heart,"  since  Thou  dcr>t 
attribute  to  it  effects  so  wonderful  as  "  the 
restoration  from  all  fatigue  and  exhaustion, 
the  sweetening  of  all  yokes,  the  lightening 
of  all  burdens,  along  with  rest  and  peace  for 
all  souls." 

I  come  to  ask  from  Thyself  the  explana 
tion  of  this  great  word,  because  there  is  no 
human  teacher,  no  saint,  no  angel  who  caxi 


258     The  Encharistic  Heart  of  Jems. 

give  it  to  me,  and  because,  also,  Thou  hast 

'  Learn  of  Mz—Discite  a  Me!" 
Humble  of  Heart!  "--The  heart  is  love. 
Love  is  its  spontaneous  impulse,  its  free 
choice,  its  reasonable  and  definitive  attach 
ment.  Love  is  the  gift  of  self,  prompt,  en 
tire,  perpetual,  without  hesitation,  without 
reserve,  without  regret.  Love  is  diametri 
cally  opposed  to  necessity,  interest,  or  cal 
culation. 

"Humble    of    Heart!"— O    my    Christ 
adored,  is  it  not  for  Thee  to  be  humble  by 
the  free  choice  of  Thy  eternal  love,  by  the 
preference  of  humility  to  every  other  virtu* 
by     the    yearning    of    Thy     soul    toward 
humility,  by  the  adhesion    of    Thy     whole 
being  to  humility?— humble  by  all  the  con 
victions  of  Thy  divinely  enlightened  mind, 
all  the  force  of  Thy  impeccable  will,  all  the 
ardor  of  Thy  most  pure  and  loving  Heart? 
t  is  not  to  be  humble  by  necessity,  no  law 
obliging  Thee  to  it,   O  Thou   Son  of  the 
Eternal!     Nor  is  it  to  be  humble  through 
interest.     Thou  hast  nothing  to  expect  from 
it.    O  Thou  Master  of  all  things,  Thou  hast 
need  of  nothing!     It  is  not  to  be  humble 
merely  on  some  occasion,  by  accident,  or  be 
cause  it  is  suitable,  humble  only  in  appear- 


Seventeenth  Day.  259 

ance,  in  some  one  point,  in  a  passing 
manner.  No !  "  Of  heart,"  that  is,  from 
the  very  bottom  of  one's  soul  in  our  liveli 
est  and  strongest  feelings,  in  that  which 
shows  the  hidden  springs  of  life,  in  that 
which  endures  as  long  as  ourselves,  is  con 
founded  with  self,  is  in  fine  our  very  self! 
And  Thou  dost  think  it  well  to  add :  "  Quid 
mitis  sum  et  humilis  Corde — Because  I  am 
meek  and  humble  of  Heart." 

"  Sum — I  am  "  humble  by  My  being  and 
by  My  nature,  by  My  character  and  by  Mv 
mission,  as  I  am  by  My  determination  and 
My  choice.  I  am  humble  by  My  Divinity, 
annihilated  in  the  lowly  condition  of  crea 
ture  and  slave.  I  am  humble  by  means  of 
My  soul  and  My  mind,  which  fully  com 
prehend  the  nothingness  of  their  origin  and 
their  absolute  dependence  on  the  Creator. 
I  am  humble  by  My  will  which  has  chosen 
humilitation  as  the  best  means  of  giving 
satisfaction  to  the  Sovereign  Justice,  of 
snatching  man,  dead  through  pride,  from 
the  yoke  of  the  prince  of  pride,  and  of  gain- 
.  ing 'him  by  abasing  Myself  lower  than  he. 

"  Behold  why  I  am  humble  of  Heart."- 
It    is    through    love,    through    passion!     T 
have  yearned  for  humility,  I  have  espoused 


260 


The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 


her,  I  love  her !  I  am  hers.  She  possesses 
Me,  captivates  Me,  and  I  love  her  sway.  I 
love  her  bonds,  I  love  her  laws,  I  love  the 
abasement  that  she  imposes  upon  Me.  I 
love  even  her  excess,  and  I  love  the  igno 
minies  with  which  she  has  drenched  Me  and 
the  death  to  which  she  conducted  Me.  I 
regret  so  little  the  extreme  humiliation 
which  I  have  endured  from  her  that  I  still 
remain  attached  to  her,  lovingly  bearing  her 
yoke,  rendered  even  heavier  in  the  Eucha 
rist! 

This  may  appear  incredible,  inexplicable, 
incomprehensible,  since  no  human  heart  can 
love  humility  with  such  love;  only  divine 
love  can  reach  such  a  height.  Being  in 
finite,  it  finds  its  reasons  above  human  hori 
zons,  manifests  itself  in  ways  inaccessible 
to  human  power,  and  aims  even  at  the  in 
finite.  I  have  loved,  I  still  love  humility 
with  all  the  strength  of  My  divine  love,  in  a 
divine  manner,  and  in  divine  proportions. 
I  love  it  beyond  the  power,  beyond  the  as 
pirations,  beyond  even  the  conception  of  any 
creature  human  or  angelic.  My  humility  is 
My  love,  My  Heart,  Myself,  God  made 
Man,  the  God-Man  put  to  death  upon  the 
accursed  gibbet,  the  God-Man  annihilated 


Seventeenth  Day.  261 

under  the  dust  of  the  Sacrament.  Who 
ever  knows  My  humility  knows  Me,  knows 
My  Heart,  for  I  am  humility  personified, 
humility  in  its  sum  and  substance,  humility 
in  infinite  and  eternal  proportions :  "  Quia 
mitis  sum  et  humilis  Corde ! " 

THANKSGIVING. 

How  explain,  excepting  by  the  passion  for 
humility,  the  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God. 
come  only  to  humble  Himself  and  to  be 
humbled,  descended  into  those  humiliations 
of  which  St.  Paul  says:  "Although  He 
was  God,  by  nature  equal  to  His  Father ;  al 
though  He  enjoyed  the  incommunicable 
prerogatives  of  the  Divine  nature ;  although 
He  was  incapable  of  submitting  to  a  will 
superior  to  His  own,  or  of  seeking  out  of 
Himself  any  good  whatsoever,  ff  Cum  in 
forma  Dei  esset,"  "  He  has  so  loved  thf 
world  "  that  He  annihiliated  Himself,  made 
Himself  a  creature  and  a  slave,  clothing 
Himself  with  human  nature:  " Exmanivit 
semetipsum,  formam  serin  accipiens,  et 
habitu  inventus  ut  homo."  He  made  Him 
self  man,  a  creature  of  nothingness,  that  is, 
He  placed  Himself  in  a  state  of  dependence 
and  inferiority.  Now,  to  take  the  state  of 


262     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

sinful  man,  was  to  make  Himself  a  slave  to 
the  divine  wrath,  subject  to  labor,  chastise 
ment  and  death.  It  is,  however,  to  this  state 
that  He  descended.  Under  these  laws  the 
only  Son  of  God  willed  to  live,  "  out  of  His 
too  great  love  for  us  "  and  for  our  misery. 
His  whole  life  here  on  earth  was  but  the 
manifestation  of  that  extraordinary  annihi 
lation  under  the  pressure  of  these  three 
derogatory  forces:  humiliation,  obedience, 
and  suffering:  " Humiliavit  semetipsurn, 
foetus  obediens  usque  ad  mortem,  mortem 
autem  crucis." 

He  humbled  Himself  in  the  poverty  of 
His  birth,  in  the  persecutions  of  His  early 
infancy,  in  the  submission  of  His  youth,  !n 
the  rough  labors  of  His  manhood,  and  in  the 
ignominious  temptations  of  Satan  in  the 
desert.,  He  humbled  Himself  in  the  contra 
dictions,  the  calumnies,  the  attacks  that  as 
sailed  His  apostolic  life ;  in  the  agony  of 
fear,  distress,  and  disgust  that  inaugurated 
His  Passion ;  in  the  infamous  accusations 
made  before  the  tribunals  against  His  doc 
trine,  His  conduct,  and  His  influence  over 
the  people.  He  humbled  Himself  by  sub 
mitting  to  the  condemnation,  to  the  punish 
ment  of  the  accursed ;  to  the  flight,  the 


Seventeenth  Day.  263 

treason,  the  denial  of  His  followers;  to  the 
implacable  abandonment  of  His  own  Father 
in  fine,  to  a  death  despised,  mocked,  blas 
phemed,  which  sealed  the  depth  of  His 
degradation ! 

All  this  humiliation  and  ignominy  He  had 
foreseen,  desired,  willed.  He  had  em 
braced  it  with  all  His  Heart.  He  identified 
Himself  with  it,  appearing  "  as  one  struck 
by  God  and  afflicted,  despised  and  the  most 
abject  of  men:  "  Tanquam  percussnm  a 
Deo  et  humiliation; — Opprobrium  hominum 
et  abjectio  plcbis; — Novissimum  virorum, — 
the  last  of  men ;  "  no  longer  a  man,  but  a 
worm  of  the  earth :  "  Hunriliavit  seme  tip- 
sum!" — crushed  under  the  heel  of  the 
passer-by ! 

"  He  humbled  Himself,  becoming  obedi 
ent  unto  death."  He  was  obedient  all  His 
life,  in  the  fulness  of  mature  age  as  well  as 
in  childhood,  from  the  first  pulsation  of  His 
Heart,  which  was  a  profession  of  perpetual 
obedience  to  the  will  of  His  Father,  until 
His  last  sigh  when  He  delivered  His  soul 
into  His  hands  by  an  act  of  supreme  aban 
donment.  He  was  obedient  and  submissive 
to  all  the  powers  of  nature,  to  all  laws 
human  and  divine.  He  was  obedient  to 


264:     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

all  the  masters  whom  the  sovereign  author 
ity  of  God  delegated  to  rule  over  Him  or 
to  chastise  Him,  such  as  Caiaphas,  Pilate, 
and  Herod;  or  those  others  monstrously 
stupid  and  sanguinary,  such  as  the  servants 
of  the  High  Priest  at  Gethsemani,  the 
drunken  soldiers  of  the  praetorium,  and  the 
executioners  of  Calvary.  He  was  obedient 
to  all  their  orders,  caprices,  and  violence. 
He  offered  without  resistance  and  without 
complaint  His  hands  to  those  that  bound 
them1,  His  shoulders  to  those  that  scourged 
them,  His  cheeks  to  buffets,  His  face  to 
spittle,  His  head  to  thorns,  His  hands  and 
feet  to  crucifixion,  His  Mother  to  the  dis 
ciple  John,  His  life  to  death,  and  all  at  the 
precise  moment  that  His  Father  demanded 
of  Him  the  sacrifice. 

And  this  obedience,  which  is  the  accen 
tuated  form  of  humility,  He  loved  as  a  de 
licious  bread.  "  He  nourished  Himself 
with  it  constantly  as  His  only  necessary 
food,"  and  He  experienced  ever  an  insati 
able  hunger  to  obey  still  more:  ff Factus 
obediens  usque  ad  mortem! " 

He  annihiliated  Himself  "  even  unto 
death,  even  to  the  death  of  the  cross — 
Usque  ad  mortem,  mortem  autem  crucis." 


Seventeenth  Day.  265 

There  are  some  deaths  glorious  and  with 
out  suffering.  But  the  Son  of  God,  capti 
vated  by  humility,  delivered  Himself  to  the 
painful  and  ignominious  death  of  the  Cross, 
because  suffering  is  the  highest  form  of 
humiliation.  It  depresses,  it  debases,  it 
subjects,  it  allows  no  resistance,  it  destroys 
happiness,  joy,  peace.  It  is  the  privation, 
a  privation  violent,  repugnant,  horrible  to 
nature,  of  all  the  legitimate  gifts  of  soul  and 
body,  of  society  and  life,  and  its  end  is  death 
itself. 

It  was  for  this  reason  that  the  Son  of 
God,  descending  from  the  sublime  heights 
of  His  beatitude,  bathed  in  pure  light  and 
environed  by  unalterable  peace,  plunges 
into  suffering  and  the  most  cruel  of  deaths. 
He  does  so  to  satisfy  His  thirst  for  humil 
ity  and  to  attain  the  last  degree  of  humilia 
tion.  This  is  what  St.  Paul  has  called  the 
folly,  the  insane  love,  excessive  and  im 
measurable,  of  the  Cross. 

REPARATION. 

Jesus  loved  the  Cross.  He  sighed  so  ar 
dently  after  it  that  His  inability  to  obtain  iu 
at  once  was  torture  to  His  Heart.  He 
had,  indeed,  delivered  Himself  to  suffering 


266     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

without  reserve.     It  possessed   Him   inter 
iorly,  since  He  had  celebrated  with  it  His 
betrothal  in  the  sanctuary  of  His  Mother's 
womb,  under  the  eye  of  His  Father,  and  in 
presence    of   the   Archangel    Gabriel.     But 
when  the  hour  came  to  espouse  it  before 
heaven  and  earth,  He  delivered  Himself  to 
it  in  a  frenzy  of  passion.     His  love  goaded 
Him   on,   and   made   Him   refuse   anything 
like  delay.     He  called    it    His    glory,    His 
triumph,  and  He  begged  His  Father  not  to 
delay  it  a  single  moment.     He  gave  Him 
self  to  this  spouse  of  His  choice  in  a  way 
that  made  Him  one  with  her,  and  He  ap 
peared  the  Man  of  sorrows,  and  of  all  sor 
rows  :     "  Virum    dolorum,"     clothed     with 
every  sorrow,  penetrated  with  sorrow  even 
to  the  marrow  of  His  bones.     He  endured 
it  under  every  form  :    "  Sclent  cm  infirmita- 
teni."     He  was   changed   into   sorrow.    He 
was  sorrow  become  a  man.     A  tempest  of 
all  kinds  of  sorrow  in  its  highest  intensity 
was  precipitated  upon  Him.    It  swept  over 
Him.     It    inundated,    stibmer.o-ed,    engulfed 
Him.    It  ravaged  His  Flesh,  His  Heart,  His 
Soul,    tearing   everything    from    Him,    His 
honor,  His  friendships,  His  works,  His  life. 
With  unexampled  joy,  He  gave  Himself  up 


Seventeenth  Day.  2G7 

to  its  devouring  attacks:  " Proposito  sibi 
gaiidio  sustinuit  cruccm!"  He  died  of  its 
violence  and  He  was  happy  to  owe  to  it  His 
death,  for  even  unto  death  He  loved  it :  "  Di- 
lexit  ct  tradidit  scmetipsum!" 

This  is  what  is  to  be  understood,  partly 
at  least,  and  in  this  manner  is  verified  the 
great  word  of  Jesus :  "  I  am  humble  of 
Heart — Hnmilis  Corde."  When  Jesus  had 
reached  the  last  degree  of  humiliation,  His 
Father  desired  to  recompense  His  heroism 
by  "  exalting  Him  above  every  name  "  ac 
cording  to  the  measure  of  His  abasement, 
giving  Him  over  men  and  things  an  empire 
in  extent  equal  to  His  own  obedience  and, 
in  exchange  for  His  sufferings,  pouring  into 
His  soul  and  body  the  plenitude  of  life  and 
happiness,  of  which  He  is  to  be  the  inex 
haustible  source  for  all  the  blessed.  He 
called  Him  to  Himself  by  the  triumph  of 
His  glorious  Ascension.  He  made  Him  sit 
on  His  throne  at  His  right.  He  placed  in 
His  hand  the  sceptre  of  eternal  royalty, 
while  the  angels  and  saints  adored  Him, 
joyfully  hailing  and  serving  Him  who  had 
abased  Himself  below  them. 

But   Christ  loved  humility  too   much   to 
renounce    humiliation !     The    latter    being 


268     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

impossible  in  heaven,  He  descended  again 
to  earth  to  find  and  embrace  it  in  a  love  even 
more  rapturous  than  that  of  the  Incarna 
tion  !  Having  so  loved  it  already,  He  wished 
to  love  it  "  to  the  end,"  to  the  greatest  limit 
possible,  so  He  shut  Himself  up  with  it  in 
the  annihiliations  of  the  Eucharist:  "In 
finem  dilexit!" 

He  made  Himself  this  humble,  common 
food,  this  miserable  particle,  this  mite  of 
bread,  which  showing  to  His  own  at  the 
Last  Supper,  He  said:  "Hoc  est  corpus 
meum — This,  this  particle,  this  nothing,— 
this  is  My  Body !  "  Yes,  in  truth,  this  is 
My  Body,  immortal  and  glorious.  This  is 
My  Blood,  ruddy  and  rippling  with  joy. 
This  is  My  Heart  overflowing  with  love. 
This  is  My  Soul  and  My  Divinity.  Yes,  this 
is  I  Myself  in  person!  It  is  I,  the  Con 
queror, — I,  the  immortal  King  of  ages, — I, 
the  God  of  majesty,  the  Sovereign  Master 
of  all  that  exists!  Behold  Me  without 
beauty,  movement,  or  life,  inferior  to  the  in 
sect  or  the  blade  of  grass,  which  live,  at 
least,  however  low  they  may  be  in  the  order 
of  beings.  I— I  am  below  them  by  the  con 
dition  of  the  sacramental  state  which  I  now 
take,  and  which  I  shall  retain  till  the  last 
dav  of  the  world ! 


Seventeenth  Day.  269 

"This,  this  is  My  Body!  It  is  I,  the 
Living  One,  who  can  no  longer  die.  This 
is  I,  delivered  for  you  and  for  the  remission 
of  your  sins,  a  Victim  immolated  by  the  ac 
ceptance  perpetually  renewed  of  the  hu 
miliations  and  sufferings  of  My  death, 
buried  in  the  winding-sheet,  and  crushed 
under  the  tombstone  of  the  dead  and  inert 
species  of  the  Sacrament !  " 

PETITION. 

"  Take  and  eat  My  Flesh.  All  ye,  take 
Me  and  eat  Me ! — I  am  only  a  morsel  of 
bread,  destined  to  disappear  in  the  breast 
of  my  creatures  for  their  benefit.  I  am  the 
bread  of  sinful  man,  sinful  by  nature,  today 
actually  a  sinner,  tomorrow  again  a  sinner. 
I  am  ordinary  bread,  by  some  disdained, — 
bread  that  negligence  renders  useless, — 
bread  without  flavor,  causing  nausea  to 
some, — bread  which,  given  as  a  sign  of 
friendship,  will  be  dealt  treacherously  with 
by  the  perfidious.  I  am  bread  which  the 
impious  will  profane,  which  the  sacrilegious 
will  cast  to  the  impure  beasts  of  hell  that 
swarm  in  their  soul ! — Take  ye  all,  and  eat 
of  It !  I  have  made  of  My  immortal  Flesh 
a  simple  remedy  to  cure  your  infirmities, 
19 


270     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

an  ointment  to  dress  your  wounds,  an  anti 
dote  for  your  sinful  desires.  To  whatever 
degrading  usage  you  may  wish  to  devote 
Me,  I  shall  willingly  lend  Myself,  I  shall 
consume  Myself  in  it,  for  I  am  in  heaven  th2 
Bread  of  light  and  glory  for  the  angels  and 
the  blessed.  Here  I  wish  to  be  the  ob 
scure  Bread  of  the  voyager  and  the  humble 
Viaticum  of  the  dying! 

"  All  this  supposes  unheard-of  and  in 
credible  abasement,  an  increase  of  humilia 
tion  which  would  seem  to  exhaust  even  the 
imaginable  and  the  possible,  yes,  even  that 
of  My  own  wisdom  and  power.  But  '  I 
have  loved  humility  to  the  end/  and  My 
love  carries  Me  away,  drives  Me  to  de 
lirium,  to  excess  :  '  I  am  humble  of  Heart : 
Qnia  initis  sum  et  humilis  Cordel'" 

"  Humble  of  Heart !  "  Oh,  yes,  I  see 
very  plainly  that  Thou  art  all  that  Thou 
sayest,  O  Christ,  annihilated  through  pure 
love,  through  Thy  own  free  choice,  through 
inviolable  attachment  to  humility,  in  the 
multiplied  annihiliations  of  the  Crib,  of 
Calvary,  and  of  the  Altar!  Have  I  com 
prehended  the  whole  truth,  the  whole  depth 
of  this  word?  Have  I  praised  its  marvel 
lous  grandeur,  its  ineffable  harmony?  Have 


Seventeenth  Day.  271 

I  tested  all  its  sweetness?  Have  I  seen  all 
its  influence  over  God  and  the  world,  all  the 
consequences  it  ought  to  have  in  the  direc 
tion  of  my  thoughts  and  works? 

Do  I  comprehend,  even  to  effective  con 
viction,  that  it  rigorously  obliges  me  not 
merely  to  esteem  humility,  not  merely  to  sub 
mit  to  its  law,  not  to  attempt  to  acquire  it 
in  some  small  degree  for  the  sake  of  the 
spiritual  advantages  that  it  confers,  but  that 
I  must  love  it,  cherish  it,  prefer  it  to  every 
thing  else?  Have  I  delighted  in  being 
humbled,  in  obeying,  in  suffering?  Have 
I  looked  upon  such  things  as  the  satisfac 
tion  of  my  best  desires,  as  the  gaining  of  a 
sovereign  good  ?  It  is  only  at  this  price  that 
I  shall  truly  learn  of  Jesus  what  it  is  to  be 
"  humble  of  heart." 

I  adore,  in  the  meantime,  acknowledging 
my  inability  to  comprehend  the  greatness, 
inappreciable  to  every  created  intelligence, 
of  this  word  great  as  Thy  love  and,  conse 
quently,  great  as  Thyself,  O  Son  of  the  In 
finite!  I  admire,  praise,  love,  and  bless  all 
the  wonders  hidden  in  it.  I  invoke  all  its 
vivifying  virtues,  all  its  deifying  influences. 
I  am  lost,  annihiliated,  with  the  cherubim 
and  the  seraphim  so  perfectly  humble,  with 


272     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Joseph  and  Mary,  more  humble  still,  in 
adoration  of  Thy  "  humility  of  Heart."  O 
my  God  and  my  Saviour,  my  Victim  and 
my  Bread  of  Life !  .  .  .  <f  Discite  a  me, 
quia  mitis  sum  et  humilis  Corde ! " 

Blessed  Margaret  Mary  possessed  a  just 
and  lively  sentiment  of  the  humility  which 
Jesus  embraced  with  all  His  Heart  in  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament. 

"  He  is  there  as  in  a  state  of  death  with 
regard  to  the  life  of  the  senses.  His  life 
is  perfectly  hidden  from  the  sight  of  crea 
tures,  who  perceive  nothing  but  the  poor 
and  lowly  species  of  bread  and  wine.  He  is 
always  alone,  in  perpetual  silence,  convers 
ing  only  with  God.  He  divests  Himself  of 
everything  in  the  Mo.st  Blessed  Sacrament, 
giving  us  all  that  He  has,  and  reserving 
nothing  for  Himself. 

"  Beholding  Him  obedient  to  priests, 
good  and  bad;  putting  Himself  in  their 
hands  to  undergo  a  mystical  death ;  assum 
ing  the  quality  of  victim  in  order  to  allow 
Himself  to  be  unresistingly  immolated  and 
sacrificed  according  to  their  designs,  to  con 
form  to  Him,  I  am  prompt  to  obedience. 
Like  a  host  of  immolation,  I  place  myself 
in  the  hands  of  my  superiors  for  whatever 


Seventeenth  Day.  273 

they  will  that,  dying  to  my  own  will,  to  my 
passions,  inclinations,  and  aversions,  con 
cealing  the  repugnance  that  I  may  feel,  they 
may  dispose  of  me  according  to  their  pleas 
ure.  The  violence  that  I  shall  do  myself 
will  be  to  honor  that  which  Jesus  must  un 
dergo  on  entering  souls  sullied  by  sin.  Of 
such  souls  He  has  so  great  horror  that, 
every  time  He  enters  one,  He  renews  His 
mortal  agony  of  the  Garden  of  Olives." 

Honor  the  obedience  of  Jesus-Hostia  b}< 
faithfully  fulfilling  all  your  religious  obli 
gations. 

Jesus,  meek  and  humble  of  Heart,  make 
my  heart  like  unto  Thine. 

(300  days'  Indulgence.} 


OBEDIENCE  OF  THE  EUCHARISTIC  HEART. 
ADORATION. 

OBEDIENCE  is  the  concrete  form  of  hu 
mility,  its  proof  and  its  measure.  It  has  its 
seat  in  the  will,  the  proper  symbol  of  which 
is  the  heart.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  what 
place  and  with  what  perfection  this  virtue 
occupies  in  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus. 
Obedience  establishes  the  glorious  empire 
of  God  over  the  reasonable  creature,  per 
fects  him  by  conforming  him  in  every  par 
ticular  to  the  will  and,  consequently,  to  the 
idea  of  God.  The  reality  of  obedience  in 
the  Sacred  Heart,  the  great  advantages  that 
it  brings  to  us,  the  immense  and  universal 
evil  of  disobedience,  the  obligation  to  obey, 
and  the  most  opportune  means  of  doing  so 
— will  furnish  successive  motives  for  adora 
tion,  thanksgiving,  reparation,  and  petition. 
Through  their  consideration  we  shall  im 
plore  an  abundant  participation  in  the  most 
obedient  Heart  of  Jesus,  the  Divine  Master, 
274 


Eighteenth  Day.  275 

who  here,  as  elsewhere,  "  began  by  doing 
before  teaching." 

Blessed  Margaret  Mary  once  wrote  to  a 
novice:  "  Your  challenge  (1)  will  be 
obedience  both  interior  and  exterior.  First, 
you  will  promptly  obey  the  inspirations  of 
grace  urging  to  acts  of  the  virtues,  bearing 
in  mind  these  words :  '  If  today  you  hear 
the  voice  of  the  Lord,  harden  not  your 
heart/  for  grace  comes  once  and  returns 
no  more.  As  for  the  exterior,  you  will 
obey  all  who  have  authority  over  you 
promptly,  simply,  lovingly,  and  without 
reply,  having  at  heart  these  words :  '  I  am 
not  come  to  do  My  own  will,  but  the  will  of 
Him  who  has  called  Me.'  At  the  first  sound 
of  the  bell,  you  will  run  as  if  at  the  voice 
of  the  Spouse,  saying :  '  He  became  obedi 
ent  unto  death.  I,  too,  will  obey  till  the  last 
sigh  of  my  life/  ':  .  .  .  Let  your  obedi 
ence  honor  that  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament. 

"  Lord,"  said  Solomon  in  the  days  of  his 
wisdom,  when  he  took  possession  of  the 
throne  of  David,  his  father,  "  give  to  Thy 
servant  a  docile  heart,  Dabis  servo  tuo  cor 

(1)  A  challenge  is  an  invitation  to  the  prac 
tice  of  some  special  virtue. 


276     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

docile"  (1).  This  was  the  prayer  that  was 
made  by  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  the  same 
gift  that  He  received  when  He  annihiliated 
Himself  by  taking  our  created  nature,  in 
order  to  enter  the  service  of  His  Father  and 
restore  to  Him  the  human  race,  subject  to 
His  empire.  "  In  the  head  of  the  book  it  is 
written  of  Me  that  I  should  do  Thy  will.  O 
my  God,  I  have  desired  it,  and  Thy  law  in 
the  midst  of  My  Heart — Deus  meus,  volui, 
et  legem  tuum  in  medio  Cordis  mei"  (2).' 
These  words,  which  St.  Paul  places  on 
the  lips  of  the  Word  at  the  moment  of  His 
Incarnation  :  "  Ingrediens  mundum,"  pro 
claim  in  what  light  the  Son  of  God  made 
Man  considered  and  embraced  obedience. 
Equal  to  the  Father  in  glory,  with  the  power 
of  remaining  so  for  all  eternity  by  right  of 
His  eternal  birth,  "  Qui  cum  in  forma  Dei 
esset,"  He  voluntarily  became  inferior  by 
taking  human  nature.  This  He  did  in  order 
to  be  able  to  offer  the  homage  and  repara 
tion  of  an  obedience  truly  worthy  of  the 
Divine  Majesty,  " Semetipsum  exinanivit, 
foetus  obediens"  The  Word  Incarnate, 


(1)  III  Kings  iii,  9. 

(2)  Ps.  xxxix,  9. 


Eighteenth  Day.  271 

therefore,  accepted  obedience  not  only  as  a 
necessity  of  His  humanity,  and  as  a  chastise 
ment  of  man's  sin,  with  which  He  had 
charged  Himself,  but  He  chose  it  freely. 
He  elevated  it  by  a  love  of  predilection  that 
He  might  espouse  it  and  give  Himself  to  it 
forever  without  reserve.  He  placed  it  in 
the  centre  of  His  Heart,  to  love  and  cherish 
it  above  every  other  affection;  to  be  pos 
sessed,  ruled,  and  directed  by  it  in  every 
thing  ;  to  serve  it  and  satisfy  it  forever : 
"  Et  legem  tuam  in  media  Cordis  meo — 
And  Thy  law  in  the  midst  of  My  Heart." 

It  measured  the  first  pulsation  of  His 
Heart,  says  St.  Paul,  by  giving  It  over  in 
Its  formation  to  the  accomplishment  of  the 
will  of  God:  " Ingr ediens  mundum,  dicit: 
Ecce  venio  ut  faciam  voluntateni  tuam — 
Coming  into  the  world,  He  said :  Behold,  I 
come  to  do  Thy  will  "  (1).  And  it  arrested 
Its  last  throb  in  the  supreme  moment  when 
the  obedient  Victim  clung  without  reserve 
to  the  will  of  the  Father  who  demanded  -His 
life  :  "  In  manus  Tuas,  Domine,  commendo 
spiritum  meum! — Into  Thy  hands,  O  Lord, 
I  commend  My  spirit !  " 


(1)   Heb.   x,  5-7. 
20 


278     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

THANKSGIVING. 

We  owe  eternal  gratitude  to  the  obedi 
ence  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  it  merited  for  us 
justification  and  salvation.  "  For  as  by  the 
disobedience  of  one  man,  many  were  made 
sinners;  so  also  by  the  obedience  of  one 
many  shall  be  made  just — Ita  et  per  unius 
obcditionem  justi  constituents  multi"(l). 

Adam's  outburst  of  proud  independence 
of  the  Creator,  manifested  by  revolt  against 
His  formally  expressed  will,  outraging  His 
majesty,  wounding  His  sovereign  rights, 
despising  His  love  and  His  benefits,  had 
broken  the  bond  of  friendship  which,  unit 
ing  the  Heavenly  Father  to  His  adopted 
children,  shed  upon  them  the  divine  life, 
that  is,  holiness,  immortality,  and  happiness. 
Then  it  was  that  sin,  suffering,  and  death 
chastised  both  in  time  and  eternity  the  un 
grateful,  the  stupid  disobedience  of  Adam, 
leaving  him  no  power  to  efface  his  fault  or 
expiate  its  punishment.  Obedience  alone 
could  re-esta'blish  what  disobedience  had 
destroyed.  But  it  had  to  be  an  obedience 
altogether  worthy  of  God,  an  obedience  al 
together  free,  without  imperfection  or 

(i)  Rom.  v,  19. 


Eighteenth  Day.  279 

weakness.  It  had  to  be  an  obedience  which 
would  attain  supreme  perfection,  one  in 
spired  by  love  alone,  and  embellished  by 
holiness,  whose  merit  would  far  transcend 
the  debts  of  disobedience;  in  one  word,  it 
should  in  every  way  be  infinite. 

No  son  of  sinful  Adam  could  possibly 
render  such  obedience;  no,  not  even  the 
Virgin  preserved  from  original  sin,  since 
her  qualities,  her  power  for  good  are  limited 
like  those  of  every  other  creature.  It  was 
necessary  that  the  Son  of  God,  equal  to  His 
Father,  by  becoming  man  without  ceasing 
to  be  God,  should  render  Himself  capable 
of  communicating  to  His  obedience  an  in 
finite  value,  in  order  to  infuse  into  it  in 
finite  love,  infinite  holiness,  infinite  merit. 
The  Word  Incarnate  rendered  such  an  obe 
dience  in  the  full  extent  exacted  by  the 
Father  to  satisfy  His  justice,  propitiate  His 
mercy,  expiate  man's  disobedience,  and  ob 
tain  pardon  for  the  guilty.  And  thus  by 
"  the  obedience  of  the  new  Adam,  all  His 
sons  have  been  justified — Ita  et  per  unius 
obeditionem  justi  constituents  multi." 

While  Jesus  rendered  that  obedience  in 
the  terrible  trials  imposed  upon  Him  by  the 
justice  of  the  Father,  He  seemed  Himself 


280     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

to  be  accursed  by  God.  What  were  those 
trials?  Poverty,  exile,  labor,  fasting,  pri 
vations,  temptation,  contradictions,  the 
abandonment  of  ingratitude,  the  persecu 
tions  of  hatred,  calumnious  and  infamous 
accusations.  They  were  ignominy  and  tor 
ment,  the  intolerable  struggle  of  a  double 
agony,  and  lastly,  death  itself,  in  which, 
cursed  by  man,  He  appeared  also  accursed 
by  God.  To  nerve  Himself  to  endure  to  the 
end,  He  thought  of  us,  of  our  deliverence, 
of  our  reinstatement  in  grace. 

REPARATION. 

Disobedience  is  the  fundamental,  the  uni 
versal  evil.  It  is  the  concrete  form  and  the 
bitter  fruit  of  pride.  It  is  the  essence  and 
the  substance  of  every  sin.  Whatever  may 
be  the  diverse  objects,  the  specific  nature, 
and  the  particular  circumstances  of  any  sin 
whatsoever,  it  is  radically  and  before  all  a 
disobedience.  It  exists  only  by  the  viola 
tion  of  some  law.  St.  Thomas  has  well  de 
fined  it:  "  Factum,  dictum,  concupitum 
aut  cogitatum  contra  legem  divinam — a 
thought,  a  desire,  a  word,  a  deed  contrary 
to  the  divine  law,  contrary  to  the  will  of 
God  manifested  by  some  law." 


Eighteenth  Day.  281 

What  constitutes  the  malice  of  disobedi 
ence  is  the  injury  that  it  does  to  the 
sovereign  rights  of  God  and  the  disorder 
that  it  introduces  into  the  relations  of  the 
creature  with  his  Creator.  In  the  sight  of 
God,  it  is  the  denial  of  His  sovereign  right 
over  the  most  noble  work  of  His  hands.  But 
God's  right  is  confounded  with  His  will 
and  with  His  very  Being.  Disobedience  is, 
then,  the  negation  of  God,  an  apostasy,  and 
a  practical  form  of  atheism:  " Initium  su- 
perbiae  hominis  est  apostatare  a  Deo — The 
beginning  of  man's  pride  is  a  turning  away 
from  God."  In  man,  it  is  disregard  of  his 
essentially  dependent  situation  with  respect 
to  God; 'and  therein  lies  the  fundamental 
disorder.  Inasmuch  as  he  is  a  creature,  it 
is  absolutely  necessary  for  man  to  depend 
upon  the  Creator.  This  dependence  he 
should  acknowledge  by  obeying  His  will  in 
whatever  wav  He  may  be  pleased  to  exer 
cise  it  over  him.  Created,  that  is,  begin 
ning  to  exist,  man  tends  to  the  fulfilment 
of  his  being,  namelv,  to  his  end;  and  He 
alone  who  called  him  into  existence  can 
conduct  him  to  his  end. 

Of  necessity,  then,  man  depends  on  God ; 
but  God  having  created  him  free,  he  should 


282     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

recognize  the  legitimacy  of  his  dependence 
and  accept  it  without  constraint.  To  ac 
cept  it,  is  to  obey;  to  deny  it,  is  to  disobey. 
The  consequences  of  obedience  are  virtue, 
merit,  and  recompense;  those  of  disobedi 
ence  are  sin  and  chastisement. 

Such  is  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit: 
"  God  made  man  from  the  beginning,  and 
left  him  in  the  hand  of  his  own  counsel.  He 
added  His  commandments  and  precepts: 
'  If  thou  wilt  keep  the  commandments  and 
perform  acceptable  fidelity  forever,  they 
shall  preserve  thee.'  .  .  .  Before  man 
are  life  and  death,  good  and  evil — Ante 
hominem,  vita  et  mors,  bonum  et  malum. 
That  which  he  shall  chosse  shall  be  given 
him:  Quod  placurit  ci,  dabitnr  illi"(l). 

PETITION. 

We  can  ask  for  nothing  better  or  more 
useful  than  for  our  heart  to  have  some  re 
semblance  to  that  of  our  Saviour.  He 
warns  us  by  the  example  of  David  that  He 
finds  no  heart  like  unto  His  own  excepting 
that  which  "  does  all  His  wills,"  that  is,  a 
heart  perfectly  obedient:  " Inveni  David 


(l\     Eccles.  xv,  14. 


Eighteenth  Day.  283 

secundum   Cor  meitm,    qni    faciet    omnes 
voluntates  meas"  (1). 

If  we  wish  to  make  progress  in  obedience, 
let  us  reanimate  in  our  soul  faith,  love,  and 
humility,  the  elements  of  this  capital  virtue. 

Faith,  throwing  light  upon  the  end  of 
obedience,  shows  us  in  those  clothed  with 
authority  the  majesty  of  God,  Jesus  Christ 
Himself.  It-  is  to  Him  alone,  in  reality, 
that  we  submit  our  will,  our  reason,  our 
judgment  itself.  Are  we  not  assured  that 
"  he  who  hears  the  Church  and  all  those 
that  have  received  authority  from  her,  hears 
Christ:  Qui  vos  audit,  me  audit?"  Faith, 
removing  the  veil  of  appearances,  shows  us 
in  the  things  we  have  to  do,  the  orders  we 
have  to  execute,  different  forms  of  the  one 
only  substantial  thing,  the  sweet  and  amia 
ble  will  of  God  alone.  We  shall  be,  then, 
according  to  the  teaching  of  St.  Peter, 
"  Children  of  obedience,"  like  unto  the  Son 
of  God,  who  saw  in  everything  only  His 
Father  and  His  will,  "  not  fashioned  ac 
cording  to  the  former  desires  of  your  ig 
norance:  Quasi  Ulii  obcdicntiae,  secundum 
eum  qui  vocavit  vos,  sanctum"  (2). 


(1)  Act.    xiii,   22. 

(2)  I.  Peter  i,  14. 


284     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Let  us  reanimate  in  our  soul  the  love  of 
the  Heavenly  Father  by  accomplishing  His 
will ;  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  following 
and  glorifying  Him,  and  by  the  acknowledg 
ment  of  His  sovereign  rights;  the  love  of 
our  neighbor  set  over  us  by  obeying  him; 
the  love  of  our  brethren  by  serving  them  in 
obedience.  Divine  love  animating  our 
obedience,  will  purify  and  ennoble  our  soul, 
banishing  servile  fear  which  would  debase 
it  by  hypocrisy,  and  mercenary  interest 
which  would  render  it  narrow  by  egotism: 
"  Animos  vestras  castific  antes  in  obedientia 
charitatis — Purifying  your  souls  in  the  obe 
dience  of  charity  "(I).  Love  alone  can 
give  us  strength  to  confront  the  sacrifices, 
the  forgetfulness  of  self,  the  privations,  and 
sometimes  the  confusion  that  is  met  in  obey 
ing;  for  to  be  perfectly  accomplished  in 
every  point,  the  law  must  be  loved, 
cherished,  followed,  and  fulfilled  with  a  sort 
of  passion  far  above  that  which  seeks  after 
earthly  advantages.  To  the  obedient  heart, 
David  says:  " ' Dilexi  mandata  tua  super 
aurum  et  topazion — I  have  loved  Thy  com 
mandments  above  gold  and  the  topaz  "(2). 

(1)  Ibid.  22. 

(2)  Ps.  cxviii,   127. 


Eighteenth  Day.  285 

Thus  taught  Jesus,  the  Great  Master,  the 
ideal,  and  the  persuasive  model  of  obedi 
ence  :  "  If  you  keep  My  commandments, 
you  shall  abide  in  My  love ;  as  I  have  also 
kept  My  Father's  commandments,  and  do 
abide  in  His  love  "(1). 


Beg  Our  Lord  to  increase  your  faith  in 
the  Real  Presence. 


Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus,  have  pity  on 
us! 

(300  days'  Indulgence.) 


(1)  John  xv,  10 


IRineteentb 

OBEDIENCE,    THE   GLORIOUS    HOMAGE   OF    THE 
EUCHARISTIC    HEART. 

ADORATION. 

THE  Son  of  God,  obedience  personified: 
"  Factus  obediens,"  lived  only  to  love,  to 
cultivate,  and  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  obe 
dience.  During  the  thirty  years  of  humble 
labor  at  Nazareth:  " Et  erat  subditus  illis 
—He  was  subject  to  them."  During  the 
three  years  of  His  apostolate,  His  "  bread/' 
that  which  He  loved  above  everything  else 
and  upon  which  He  lived,  was  to  accom 
plish  the  will  of  God  who  sent  Him :  "  Meus 
cibus  cst  ut  faciam  voluntatem  ejus  qui  misit 
me"  (1).  During  His  Passion,  on  the 
terrible  eve  of  that  most  agonizing  last  day 
of  His  life,  to  which  He  gave  Himself  up  to 
testify  to  the  world  with  what  love  He 
would  fulfil  the  Father's  commands,  He 
clung  to  obedience :  "  Ut  cognoscat  mun- 
dus  quid  diligo  Patrem  et  sicut  mandatum 
dedit  inihi  Pater,  sic  facio,  surgite  eamus 

(1)     John   iv,   34. 
286     > 


Nineteenth  Day.  287 

hind — That  the  world  may  know  that  I 
love  the  Father,  and  as  the  Father  hath 
given  Me  commandment,  so  do  I.  Arise,  let 
us  go  hence  !  "(1) 

Lastly,  to  perpetuate  here  below  under 
the  humiliating  yoke  of  human  masters  and 
in  conditions  of  dependence  and  abasement 
which  surpass  all  that  He  endured  during 
His  mortal  life,  to  perpetuate  an  obedience 
which  in  heaven  is  all  glory  and  felicity,  He 
delivered  Himself  to  His  Apostles  and  gave 
to  every  priest  full  power  over  His  Body 
and  Blood  by  binding  Himself  in  the  fetters 
of  the  sacramental  state.  Every  day  of  the 
world,  even  to  the  very  last,  shall  we  see  this 
almighty  God,  this  King  of  the  nations, 
crowned  with  glory,  "  obeying  the  voice  of 
a  man,"  laboring  and  suffering  for  the  good 
of  a  redeemed  people :  "  Obediente  Domino 
voci  hominis  et  pugnante  pro  Israel!  "(2) 

Is  obedience,  then,  so  great,  so  noble,  so 
beautiful  as  to  have  power  to  allure,  to  con 
quer,  to  captivate  the  Son  of  God  to  such 
a  degree  ?  Ah !  it  is  to  God  the  most  glor 
ious  homage  that  He  can  receive  from  His 
creatures.  It  is  the  homage  of  their  in- 


(1)  Ibid,  xiv,  31. 

(2)  Jos.   x,   14. 


288     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

telligent  will,  the  spiritual  sacrifice  of  their 
immortal  soul,  the  free  gift  of  their  meritor 
ious  life,  offered  by  love  to  His  good  pleas 
ure:  "  Melior  est  obedientia  quam  vic- 
timae  "(1).  It  is  for  man  true  sanctity  and 
consummate  perfection:  " Deum  time  et 
mandata  ejus  observa;  hoc  est  enim  omnis 
homo.— Fear  God  and  keep  His  command 
ments,  for  this  is  all  man  "(2). 

"  Beholding  Jesus  Christ  rendering  obe 
dience  to  all  priests  whether  good  or  bad," 
says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  "  and  placing 
Himself  in  their  hands  to  die  mystically, 
concealing  Himself  in  the  Host  that,  with 
out  showing  any  resistance,  He  may  be  im 
molated  and  sacrificed  according  to  their  de 
signs,  I  am  prompt  at  the  call  of  obedience. 
Like  a  host  of  immolation,  I  place  myself 
in  the  hands  of  my  superiors  for  whatever 
they  may  command  that,  dying  to  my  own 
will,  to  my  passions,  inclinations,  and  aver 
sions,  they  may  dispose  of  me  as  they  please 
without  my  allowing  the  repugnance  I  may 
feel  to  appear. 

"  And  the  violence  I  shall  have  to  do  my 
self  will  be  to  honor  that  which  Jesus  does 

(1)  Matt,   ix,    13. 

(2)  Eccles.  xii,  13. 


Nineteenth  Day.  289 

Himself  on  entering  souls  sullied  by  sin. 
He  has  such  horror  for  these  souls  that 
every  time  He  enters  them,  He  there  renews 
the  mortal  agony  of  the  Garden  of  Olives." 

THANKSGIVING. 

At  the  moment  in  which  He  offered  Him 
self  freely  to  suffer  for  the  crimes  of  all 
and  to  assume  their  burden,  He  recalled  the 
Father's  promise :  "  If  He  shall  lay  down 
His  life  for  sin,  He  shall  see  a  long-lived 
seed — Si  posuerit  pro  peccato  animain  suam, 
videbit  semen  longcevum"  (1).  Of  His 
sufferings  and  His  obedience,  mingled  with 
His  Blood,  He  formed  remedies  to  cure  us 
of  the  evil  of  independence  and  all  the  dis 
orders  it  brings  with  it :  "  Cujus  livore 
sanati  sumus — By  His  bruises  we  are 
healed."  In  His  obedience,  He  multiplied 
the  most  perfect  acts,  examples  the  most 
sublime  of  all  the  virtues,  in  order  to  induce 
us  to  imitate  them  and  to  teach  us  obedience 
sanctified  and  perfect:  " Passus  est  pro 
nobis,  vobis  relinquens  exemplum,  ut  sequa- 
mini  vestigia  ejus — Christ  also  suffered  for 
us,  leaving  you  an  example  that  you  should 


(1)     Is.   liii,   10. 


290     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

follow  in  His  steps  "(1).  Lastly,  in  this 
rude  school  of  obedience,  and  tried  by  all 
kinds  of  sorrows,  He  formed  for  Himself 
a  Heart  of  infinite  compassion  to  bear  with 
all  our  difficulties,  struggles,  and  even  falls, 
in  the  fulfilment  of  the  perpetual  and  univer 
sal  duty  of  obedience,  which  is  the  very 
foundation  of  man's  life  here  below :  "  He 
learned  obedience  by  the  things  which  He 
suffered — Didicit  ex  eis  qu<z  passus  est  obe 
dient  iani  "(2). 

And  now,  become  by  His  sacramental 
state  obedience  consummated,  mercifully 
continuing  before  our  eyes  the  lessons  of  the 
humblest,  the  meekest,  the  most  heroic,  and 
the  most  persevering  obedience,  He  gives 
Himself  as  the  food,  the  strength,  the  con 
solation,  and  the  pledge  of  infinite  reward 
to  all  who,  in  order  to  reign  with  Him,  bind 
themselves  to  Him  till  death  in  the  bonds 
of  Christian  charity :  "  And  being  con 
summated,  He  became  to  all  that  obey  Him, 
the  cause  of  eternal  salvation — Et  consum- 
matus,  factus  est  omnibus  obtemperantibus 
sibi,  causa  salutis  aternce  " (3) . 


(1)1  Peter  ii,  21. 

(2)  Heb.  v,  8. 

(3)  Ibid.    9. 


Nineteenth  Day.  291 

Once  when  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  had 
some  difficulty  in  submitting  to  obedience, 
the  Divine  Master  let  her  see  His  sacred 
Body  covered  with  the  wounds  that  He  had 
received  for  her  love.  He  reproached  her 
with  ingratitude  and  with  tepidity  in  over 
coming  herself  for  love  of  Him.  "  What 
dost  Thou  will  me  to  do,  O  My  God,"  she 
asked,  "  since  my  will  is  stronger  than  I  ?  " 
Jesus  told  her  that,  if  she  would  place  it  in 
the  wound  of  His  Sacred  Side,  she  would 
have  no  trouble  in  surmounting  self.  "  O 
my  Saviour,"  she  exclaimed,  "  do  Thou 
place  it  therein  so  deeply  and  shut  it  up  so 
securely  that  it  can  never  come  out !  "  She 
tells  us  that  from  that  moment  everything 
appeared  to  her  so  easy  that  she  never  again 
had  any  difficulty  in  overcoming  herself. 

REPARATION. 

Man,  alas!  disdains  to  receive  from  the 
Most  High  the  light  to  guide  him  in  his 
way.  He  pretends  to  have,  like  God  Him 
self,  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil ;  there 
fore  choosing  death  by  despising  the  divine 
commandment,  he  is  condemned  to  dark 
ness  and  torture  for  time  and  eternity.  It 
is  just  that,  refusing  to  obey  God  willingly, 


292     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

he  should  be  chained  in  spite  of  himself 
under  the  murderous  yoke  of  the  leader  of 
all  revolts.  It  is  just  that,  not  having 
wished  to  accomplish  the  noble  commands 
of  the  Lord  and  of  His  Church,  he  should 
be  obliged  to  submit  to  the  cruel  and  ig 
nominious  caprices  of  the  demons  and  to  the 
reprobate.  The  confession  they  are  then 
obliged  to  make,  can  do  them  no  good: 
"  For  we  have  not  obeyed  Thy  command 
ments,  therefore  are  we  delivered  to  spoil 
and  to  captivity  and  to  death,  and  are  made 
a  fable  and  a  reproach  to  all  nations!  "(I). 
It  is  true  that  every  disobedience  is  not 
opposed  to  the  absolute  will  of  the  Creator, 
and  does  not  carry  with  it  a  total  revolt  of 
the  human  will.  A  great  number  of  these 
acts  of  disobedience  regard  things  not  im 
posed  upon  us  as  necessary.  Respecting 
the  substance  of  the  precepts,  some  souls 
violate  only  the  accidental  circumstances ; 
others  only  half  comprehend  or  half  will. 
These  are  slight  disobediences,  partial  or 
venial.  God  punishes  them  with  temporal 
pains  during  life  or  after,  in  order  to  pardon 
them  in  the  end. 


(1)  Tob.  iii,  4. 


Nineteenth  Day.  293 

But  whatever  they  be,  they  displease  His 
Heart.  If  He  at  once  casts  the  gravely  dis 
obedient  into  the  abyss  of  death,  He  de 
clares  His  Heart  turned  away  from  those 
tepid  souls  that  disobey  in  all  things.  He 
threatens  to  "  vomit  them  out  of  His 
mouth.''  Let  us  seriously  examine  our 
selves  upon  this  capital  point  of  the  Chris 
tian  life.  Let  us  remember  that  the  most 
deeply  rooted  inclination  of  fallen  nature, 
the  most  impetuous,  the  most  difficult  to 
destroy  or  even  to  repress,  is  the  passion 
of  independence,  of  resistance  to  authority, 
and  tendency  to  disobedience.  Let  us  listen 
to  the  severe  admonitions  on  this  subject 
given  by  the  Sacred  Heart  to  the  most  in 
timate  confidante  of  Its  thoughts,  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary: 

"•My  Divine  Master  having  ordered  me 
to  rise  every  night  between  Thursday  and 
Friday,  in  order  to  recite  five  Pater  and 
Ave  prostrate  on  the  ground,  I  replied  to 
Him :  '  My  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  am 
not  my  own,  and  that  I  shall  do  what  my 
superioress  orders  me.'  '  I  do  not  intend 
it  otherwise.'  replied  my  Lord ;  '  for,  all- 
powerful  as  I  am,  I  desire  nothing  from 
thee  but  in  dependence  on  thy  superioress/  " 


294     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Hearken  to  these  words  from  the  mouth  of 
Truth :  "  All  religious  disunited  and  sepa  • 
rated  from  their  superiors,  must  be  looke-l 
upon  as  vessels  of  reprobation,  in  whom  ah 
good  liquors  are  changed  into  corruption, 
and  upon  whom  the  Divine  Sun  of  Justice- 
darting  His  rays,  produces  the  same  effect 
as  the  sun  shining  upon  mire.  Such  souls 
are  so  utterly  rejected  by  My  Heart  that, 
the  more  they  try  to  approach  Me  by  the 
Sacraments,  prayer,  and  other  exercises,  the 
more  I  withdraw  from  them  in  horror.  They 
will  fall  from  one  hell  to  another,  for  it  is 
this  disunion  that  has  lost  so  many,  and  that 
will  lose  so  many  more.  Since  every  su 
perior  holds  My  place,  be  he  good  or  bad, 
the  inferior  who  injures  him  wounds  his 
own  soul  in  the  same  measure.  It  is  vain 
for  him  after  so  doing  to  weep  at  the  door 
of  My  mercy.  He  shall  not  be  heard." 

PETITION. 

Lastly,  humility,  that  perfect  form  of  the 
religious  fear  of  God,  will  bow  our  neck 
under  the  yoke  of  obedience,  will  bend  our 
will  to  that  of  superiors,  so  that  we  shall 
even  prefer  the  non-success  of  obedience  to 
the  success  of  revolt.  Like  the  proud,  alas ! 


Nineteenth  Day.  295 

v.c  have  in  our  excitement  and  eagerness, 
preferred  the  present  and  deceitful  satis 
factions  of  disobedience.  Lacking  humility, 
we  have  not  sought  the  conscientious  and 
lasting  observance  of  the  divine  command 
ments:  "  Deum  time  et  mandata  ejus  ob- 
serva — Fear  God  and  keep  His  command 
ments."  Therefore  it  is  that,  wishing  to 
propose  the  yoke  of  His  law,  sweet  but  in 
evitable,  the  Divine  Master  manifested  His 
meek  and  humble  Heart  to  all  men  crushed 
under  the  weight  of  inexorable  obligations, 
that  they  may  seek  in  It,  as  in  an  inexhaust 
ible  source,  humility,  meekness,  and  sweet 
ness,  without  which  it  is  impossible  for  obe 
dience  to  be  sincere  or  lasting :  "  Discite 
quia  mitis  sum  et  humilis  Corde:  tollite 
jugum  meum  super  vos:  Jugum  enim  meum 
suave  est  et  onus  meum  leve — Learn  that  I 
am  meek  and  humble  of  Heart :  take  up  My 
yoke  upon  you,  for  My  yoke  is  sweet  and 
My  burden  light." 

After  having  earnestly  implored  grace  of 
the  most  obedient  Heart  of  Jesus,  which  we 
adore  in  the  consummation  of  obedience  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament,  let  us  take  the  reso 
lution  to  obey,  each  in  his  own  state,  every 
law  to  which  we  are  subject,  every  superior 


296     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

who  has  authority  over  us.  Let  us  obey  all 
the  general  obligations  of  the  Christian  con 
tained  in  the  Gospel,  in  the  commandments 
of  God  and  of  the  Church,  in  the  liturgical 
laws.  Let  us  render  obedience  to  all  the 
Decrees,  all  the  directions  of  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff,  the  universal  Pastor,  and  to  the  law 
ful  ordinances  of  diocesan  Bishops.  Let  us, 
each  in  what  concerns  him,  obey  the  laws 
that  regulate  particular  states ;  for  instance, 
the  laws  of  marriage,  of  trade,  of  public 
functions,  of  the  priesthood,  and  of  the  re 
ligious  state.  Let  us  render  obedience  to 
those  that  have  a  right  to  exact  it ;  wives  to 
their  husbands,  children  to  parents,  servants 
to  masters,  employees  and  workmen  to  em 
ployers,  subjects  to  the  legitimate  laws  and 
to  magistrates,  parishioners  to  their  pastors, 
penitents  to  confessors,  religious  to  su 
periors,  vicars  to  rectors,  priests  to  their 
Bishop.  It  is  at  this  price  that  notable  vic 
tories  of  the  spirit  over  the  flesh  are  gained, 
of  humility  over  pride,  and  the  public  ascen 
dency  of  Christians  over  the  enemies  of  their 
Faith :  "  Vir  obediens  loquetur  victorias-- 
The  obedient  man  shall  speak  of  vic 
tories  !"(!) 

(1)     Prov.  xxi,  28. 


Nineteenth  Day.  297 

"  Lord,    give    to    Thy    servant    a    docile 
heart:     Dabis  servo  tuo  cor  docile!" 

Ask   Our   Eucharistic   Lord   to    increase 
your  spirit  of  recollection. 

Our  Lady  of  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament, 
pray  for  us. 

(300  days'  Indulgence,  when  said  before 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  exposed.) 


ftwentietb 

THE  FIDELITY  OF  THE  HEART  OF  JESUS. 

Invenisti  Cor  ejus  fidele. 
Thou  didst  find  His  Heart  faithful.— II.  Es- 
dras  IX,  8. 

SUBJECT. — The  fidelity  which  we  are  now 
going  to  consider  is  not  that  which  Jesus 
testified  to  His  Father  in  His  love  for  Him 
by  the  accomplishment  of  His  will  even  it 
the  cost  of  His  life,  but  that  which  urged 
Him  to  love  us  and  help  us  without  fail, 
standing  faithfully  by  all  the  promises  which 
His  gratuitous  love  made  to  mankind.  It  is 
the  Heart  of  "  the  faithful  Friend/'  the 
treasure-house  of  His  tender  mercies  to  us, 
that  we  are  going  to  adore,  bless,  and  in 
voke.  It  is  the  Heart  which  revealed  how 
far  Its  fidelity  extends  by  these  words  whose 
full  meaning  we  shall  understand  only  in 
heaven :  "  Behold  this  Heart  which  has  so 
loved  men  that  It  has  spared  nothing,  even 
to  exhausting  and  consuming  Itself  to  testify 
to  them  Its  love  !  " 
298 


Twentieth  Day.  29t) 

ADORATION. 

Fidelity  of  Heart  is  one  of  the  distinctive 
moral  characteristics  of  the  Incarnate  Word. 
He  had  announced  it  by  His  prophet  in  order 
that  men  might  with  more  confidence  await 
His  coming  upon  earth :  From  the  root  of 
Jesse,  shall  be  born  the  virginal  rod  (Mary), 
which  shall  be  crowned  by  the  magnificent 
rose  (Jesus),  and  the  Holy  Spirit  shall  fill 
Him  with  the  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  of  un 
derstanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  of  for 
titude,  the  spirit  of  knowledge  and  of  godli 
ness,  of  piety,  and  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 
"  And  fidelity  shall  be  the  girdle  of  His 
reins — Et  crit  fides  cmctorium  renum 
ejus"(\).  As  the  girdle  closely  clasps  the 
body  and  forms  for  it  a  support,  so  does 
fidelity  envelop  the  Heart  of  Jesus  and  pre 
vent  Its  ever  swerving  from  Its  promises  to 
help  us.  The  girdle,  which  gathers  the 
clothing  in  graceful  folds  around  the  per 
son,  is,  likewise,  the  symbol  of  love.  The 
Heavenly  Spouse  appeared  in  His  glory, 
"  His  breast,  that  is  His  Heart,  supported 
by  a  cincture  of  gold :  Praecinctum  ad  ma- 

(i)  Is.  xi.,  5. 


300     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

inillas  zona  aurea"  (1).  It  was  certainly 
of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  that  Isaias  prophesied 
when  he  depicted  It  gloriously  encircled  by 
the  bands  of  invincible  fidelity. 

It  is  meet  that  the  most  perfect  of  all 
hearts  should  possess  this  perfection,  which 
is  "  the  most  sacred  treasure  of  the  human 
heart,  the  honor  of  Divinity  as  well  as  of 
humanity:  Sacratissimum  humani  pectoris 
bonum"  (2).  According  to  Eternal  Wis 
dom  it  is  the  most  precious  of  all  treasures 
and  the  most  assured  of  all  protection. 
"  Amicus  Udells  protectio  fortis;  qui  autem 
invenit  ilium,  invenit  thesaurum — A  faith 
ful  friend  is  a  strong  defence,  and 
he  that  hath  found  him  hath  found 
a  treasure  "(3).  It  is  not  upon  honor, 
honesty,  fidelity — these  three  are  one  and 
the  same — that  rest  all  relations  between 
mankind  and  God  Himself?  Do  they  not 
form  the  bonds  of  friendship,  the  peace  and 
joy  of  the  domestic  circle,  the  security  of 

(1)  Cur  ad  mamillas  cingitur  Christus?   Quia 
Cor  Christi,  quod  est  inter  mamillas,  plenum  est 
charitate.     Corn,  a  Lap.  in  Apoc.  I,  13. 

(2)  Seneca,  Ep.    SQ.—Decus  divumque   hom- 
inu-mque.     {Cicero,  Lib.  I.  offic.) 

(3)  Ecclus.  vi,  14. 


Twentieth  Day.  301 

business  transactions,  our  confidence  in 
prayer  and  every  religious  exercise?  He 
that  is  faithful,  no  matter  what  his  condi 
tion,  perhaps  that  of  a  lowly  servant,  merits 
esteem  and  affection :  "  Si  est  tibi  servus 
fi  delis,  sit  tibi  quasi  anima  tua:  quasi  fratrem 
tuum  sic  cum  tract  a — If  thou  have  a  faith 
ful  servant,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  thy  own 
soul :  treat  him  as  a  brother,  because  in  the 
blood  of  thy  soul  thou  hast  gotten  him  "(1). 

Alas,  it  is  too  true !  Fidelity  is  very  rare 
on  this  earth.  We  do,  indeed,  often  find 
hearts  capable  of  pity,  ready  to  perform  an 
act  of  devotedness  at  their  own  time  and 
convenience ;  but  fidelity  implies  disinterest 
edness,  devotedness  and  constancy  under 
every  form,  and  that  is  very  difficult  to  the 
heart  wounded  by  original  sin.  At  the  bot 
tom  of  that  heart  lie  egoism,  weakness,  and 
inconstancy :  "  Multi  homines  misericor- 
des  vocantur:  virum  autem  fidelem,  quis  in- 
venietf — Many  men  are  called  merciful,  but 
who  shall  find  a  faithful  man?  "(2) 

How  good,  then,  it  is  for  our  poor  heart, 
always  deceived  both  by  itself  and  others, 


(1)  Ibid,   xxxiii,   31. 

(2)  Prov.   xx,  6. 
21 


302     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

to  contemplate  and  adore  in  all  security  the 
fidelity  without  fail  or  weakness  of  that  only 
One  who  can  in  truth  be  called  "  the  faithful 
Friend:  Amicus  Udells!"  He  is  our  ef 
ficacious  and  ever  present  help:  Protectio 
fortis,  whose  heart  is  a  treasury  of  every 
kind  of  fidelity :  "  Et  qui  invenit  ilium,  in- 
venit  thesaurum!" 

The  Heart  of  Jesus  bears  in  Itself  the 
eternal  fidelity  of  God,  along  with  His  muni 
ficent  liberality,  His  infallible  truth,  and  His 
very  Being:  " Fidelis  Dominus  in  omnibus: 
verbis  suis — The  Lord  is  faithful  in  all  His. 
words  "(1).  The  Heart  of  Jesus  pos 
sesses  human  fidelity  under  all  the  forms  in 
which  it  can  be  exhibited:  the  fidelity  of  a 
father  remaining  with  his  children  that  they 
may  not  be  left  orphans ;  the  fidelity  of  the 
shepherd  going  before  his  sheep  to  lead  them 
to  good  pasture,  and  to  give  his  life  in  their 
defence  against  the  wolf ;  the  fidelity  of  the 
priest  praying  indefatigably  for  the  needs  of 
his  people ;  the  fidelity  of  the  Spouse  toward 
the  Church,  which  He  daily  washes  in  His 
Blood  and  feeds  with  His  Flesh ;  lastly,  the 
fidelity  of  the  Friend  who  said  to  His, 

(1)  Ps.  cxliv,  13. 


Twentieth  Day.  303 

Apostles  invited  to  His  table,  and  in  them  to 
all  men  who  communicate :  "  I  will  not  now 
call  you  servants,  but  I  call  you  My  friends, 
because  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  re 
ceived  from  My  Father,  I  have  made  known 
to  you,  and  I  shall  be  with  you  all  days  even 
to  the  end  of  the  world," 

Let  us  adore  the  Heart  of  the  faithful 
Friend,  Its  truth,  sincerity,  and  the  generos 
ity  and  abundance  of  Its  fidelity.  Let  us 
abandon  ourselves  unreservedly  to  Its 
fidelity ! 

"  I  constitute  thee  heiress  of  My  Heart 
and  all  Its  treasures  for  time  and  for  eter 
nity,  and  I  permit  thee  to  use  them  accord 
ing  to  thy  desires.  I  promise  thee  help  shall 
fail  thee  only  when  My  Heart  shall  fail  in 
power."  (Words  of  Our  Lord  to  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary.) 

THANKSGIVING. 

Nothing  is  so  beautiful  as  fidelity.  The 
Holy  Spirit  does  not  hesitate  to  say: 
"  Amico  Udeli  nulla  est  comparatio,  et  non 
est  digna  ponderatio  auri  vel  argenti  contra 
bonitatem  fidei  illius — Nothing  can  be  com 
pared  to  a  faithful  friend,  and  no  weight  of 
gold  and  silver  is  able  to  countervail  the 


304     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

goodness  of  his  fidelity "( 1 ).  A  friend 
is  a  gift  of  God  above  all  gifts,  and  he  who 
has  it  possesses  a  benefit  above  all  benefits. 
Considered  even  in  the  natural  light,  fidelity 
is  peace  of  heart,  security  in  the  present, 
certitude  for  the  future,  assurance  in  daily 
relations  with  the  neighbor,  confidence  in 
the  communication  of  secrets  and  sorrows 
the  most  delicate.  It  means  sincere  and  de 
voted  concurrence  in  time  of  need,  assured 
help,  the  sharing  of  difficulties,  and,  in  cases 
of  misfortune,  the  continuation  of  esteem 
and  affection  along  with  the  presence  of  the 
trusted  one.  We  may  say  that,  among  all 
the  goods  of  the  heart,  it  is  the  treasure. 

What  will  not  be  the  fidelity  of  the  Divine 
Friend,  whose  Heart  is  full  of  infinite  love, 
of  all  the  noble  affections  that  dispose  Him 
to  be  the  unique  Saviour  of  men? 

The  friendship  of  Jesus  is  entirely 
gratuitous,  entirely  disinterested,  for  He  is 
always  the  first  to  love,  and  that  without 
any  other  end  in  view  than  to  do  good.  It 
accommodates  itself  to  the  needs,  to  the 
character,  the  situation  of  each,  being  full  of 
knowledge,  experience,  and  condescension. 


(1)  Ecclus.  vi,  15. 


Twentieth  Day.  305 

Jesus,  as  the  Sovereign  Master  of  all  forces, 
disposes  of  all  creatures  and  of  all  help,  and 
nothing  can  oppose  His  all-powerful  action. 
He  is  faithful  during  life  and,  when  death 
draws  near,  His  fidelity  in  time  is  changed 
into  eternal  fidelity,  over  which  time  in  its 
ravages  has  no  power. 

From  the  moment  that  God  created  us  in 
pure  love,  His  fidelity  encompassed  us  with 
His  promises  of  eternal  life,  for  He  created 
us  to  His  own  image  and  likeness  in  order  to 
make  us  live  forever  of  His  own  life  and  to 
enjoy  His  endless  happiness.  When  revolt 
and  ingratitude  separated  us  from  God,  His 
fidelity  became  the  mercy  which  called  us  all 
to  His  Heart  that  He  might  create  us  anew, 
sweeten  our  yoke,  and  lighten  our  burden. 
He  redeemed  us  at  the  price  of  His  Blood, 
engaged  to  feed  us  every  day  with  His  own 
Flesh,  and  to  abandon  us  never.  It  is  His 
fidelity  that  brings  Him  to  our  bedside  when 
death  and  Satan  assault  our  life  of  body  and 
soul.  He  comes  to  reassure  us  in  the  throes 
of  our  last  agony,  and  He  says  to  us :  "  May 
the  Body  of  Christ  guard  thy  soul  to  eternal 
life !  "  Lastly,  His  fidelity  judges  us  and,, 
if  we  have  been  faithful,  pronounces  over 
us  these  words  of  supreme  love,  which  will 


306     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

introduce  us  into  the  peace  of  beatitude: 
"  Come,  ye  blessed  of  the  Father.  Possess 
the  kingdom  that  has  been  prepared  for  you 
from  all  eternity  !  " 

Can  we  ever  magnify  as  It  deserves  the 
Heart  of  the  faithful  Christ,  we  who  are  the 
creation,  the  redemption,  the  only  solicitude 
of  His  fidelity :  "  Vir  Udells  multum  lauda- 
bitur? — A  faithful  man  shall  be  much 
praised?"  (1) 

"  My  heart  is  so  passionately  enamored  of 
men  that,  not  being  able  to  contain  in  Itself 
the  flames  of  Its  ardent  charity,  It  must  of 
necessity  spread  them  around  by  thy  means. 
It  must  manifest  Itself  to  them  in  order  to 
enrich  them  with  Its  precious  treasures, 
whose  sanctifying  and  necessary  graces  will 
withdraw  them  from  the  abyss  of  perdition.' 
(Words  of  Our  Lord  to  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary.) 

REPARATION. 

The  purest  and  most  abundant  source  of 
contrition  is,  without  doubt,  the  love  of  God 
and  of  His  Son,  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Whoever  can  rouse  in  his  soul  the  sentiment 
of  the  infinite  loveliness  of  God,  which  his 


(1)     Prov.  xxviii,  20. 


Twentieth  Day.  307 

sins  have  despised  by  preferring  to  it  the 
very  limited  charms  of  the  creature;  who 
ever  has  comprehended  with  what  love  God 
has  loved  him,  whether  in  creating  him  or 
in  filling  his  life  with  His  benefits,  who 
ever  seizes  the  mystery  of  Jesus'  dying  for 
him  and  of  making  Himself  his  Eucharist ; 
whoever  beholds  himself  still  loved,  pro 
tected,  called  to  pardon,  in  spite  of  his  te- 
pedity  and  malice,  in  spite  of  the  number  of 
his  sins,  must  feel  his  heart  rent  with  sor 
row  and  abased  with  salutary  shame.  He 
must  be  filled  with  love  for  this  God  of 
mercy,  he  must  return  to  Him  by  a  sincere 
and  lasting  conversion,  a  conversion  that 
can  be  effected  by  perfect  love  alone. 

Nothing  can  so  powerfully  enkindle  this 
flame  of  moral  resurrection  as  the  sight  of 
the  fidelity  of  the  merciful  Friend  making 
Himself  for  those  that  He  has  not  ceased 
to  love,  in  spite  of  their  wanderings,  "  the 
medicine  of  life  and  immortality,"  which 
raises  up  from  the  dead  and  cures  all 
wounds:  (( Amicus  Udells  medicamentum 
vitae  et  immortalitatis."  When  fidelity  is 
exercised  toward  a  being  who  is  unfaithful 
ness  personified,  it  shows  itself  magnani 
mous  and  sublime — sin  being,  in  the  mind, 


308 


The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 


only   a   want   of   faith   in   the  divine   word 
which  orders  or  prohibits,  a  want  of  confi 
dence  in  the  word  that  promises  the  recom 
pense,  of  fear  for  the  word  that  threatens 
chastisements ;  in  the  heart,  only  ingratitude 
and  forgetfulness  of  the  Sovereign  Benefac 
tor  ;  and  in  the  will,  only  the  refusal  of  obe 
dience  and  a  revolt  against  divine  authority. 
It  is   toward  this   unfaithful   one   that  the 
faithful     Heart     exercises     Its     invincible 
fidelity  by  pardoning  him,  supporting  him, 
and  reinstating  him  in  all  the  goods  that  he 
had  forfeited !     It  is  here,  too,  that  fidelity 
manifests    its    sovereign    goodness,    for    it 
comes  to  the  succor  of  a  being  condemned  to 
the  most  dreadful  punishments  both  in  time 
and  in  eternity,  and  in  the  absolute  impos 
sibility  of  freeing  himself  or  even  of  lessen 
ing  the  evils  that  encompass  him,  either  by 
his  own  efforts  or  those  of  any  other  crea 
ture.     God  alone  can  remit  sin  and   raise 
from  spiritual  death,  which  surely  leads  to 
eternal  death  if,  faithful  to  its  need  of  par 
doning  and  to  the  law  that  He  has  deigned 
to  make  for  Himself,  His  mercy  does  not 
intervene :     "  Amicus  Udells  medicamentum 
vitae  et  immortalitatis — A  faithful  friend  is 
the  medicine  of  life  and  immortalitv." 


Twentieth  Day.  309 

The  Gospel  abounds  in  touching  examples 
of  this  ministry  of  merciful  fidelity,  because 
the  Gospel  is  the  history  of  the  Son  of  God 
made  Man  to  save  men  from  their  sins.  St. 
Peter  is  a  perfect  example  of  it.  Jesus  is 
faithful  to  warn  him  of  the  danger  that  he 
runs  by  his  presumption;  faithful  to  pray 
that  his  faith  may  not  fail,  since  Satan  de 
manded  to  sift  him  like  wheat;  faithful  to 
exhort  him  to  vigilance  and  to  prayer  in 
order  to  strengthen  him  against  approach 
ing  temptation.  And  as  soon  as  Peter,  for 
getful  of  these  warnings,  had  fallen  into  the 
unfaithfulness  of  the  triple  denial,  the  faith 
ful  Friend,  though  in  the  midst  of  His  own 
sufferings,  endeavored  to  catch  his  eye,  to 
cast  upon  him  a  look  of  tender  reproach  and 
infinite  clemency,  which  revived  faith  in  the 
heart  of  the  poor  renegade,  and  drew  from 
his  eyes  torrents  of  reparative  tears.  Then, 
after  His  Resurrection,  faithful  to  render  to 
Peter  the  rights  with  which  He  had  honored 
him,  Jesus  appeared  to  him  first  before  all 
the  others,  and  drew  from  him  in  the  pres 
ence  of  his  fellow-disciples  the  triple  con 
fession  of  faithful  love,  which  forever  ef 
faced  the  remembrance  of  his  former  in 
fidelity. 

22 


310     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

To  sinners  at  all  times,  the  Saviour  has 
assured  the  fidelity  of  His  pardon  by  institut 
ing  in  the  daily  effusion  of  His  Blood,  the 
Sacrament  that  remits  all  sin:  "Hie  est 
Sanguis  ineus  in  remissionem  pec- 

catorum — This  is  My  Blood  .  .  .  for 
the  remission  of  sins." 

It  was  the  merciful  fidelity  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  that  permitted  St.  John,  who  knew  all 
the  secrets  of  the  Heart  upon  which  he  had 
reposed,  to  write  these  consoling  and  re 
assuring  words  for  us  poor  sinners :  "  My 
little  children,  these  things  I  write  to  you 
that  you  may  not  sin.  But  if  any  man  sin, 
we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus 
Christ  the  Just.  And  He  is  the  propitiation 
for  our  sins,  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also 
for  those  of  the  whole  world  "  (1). 

"  It  desires  to  draw  many  souls  from  eter 
nal  perdition,  for  this  Divine  Heart  is  like  a 
fortress  and  a  secure  asylum  for  all  poor 
sinners  who  wish  to  take  refuge  therein,  in 
order  to  shun  Divine  Justice  in  Its  just 
anger  which,  like  an  impetuous  torrent, 
would  drown  with  their  sins  those  sinners 
who  excite  the  divine  wrath."  (Words  of 
Our  Lord  to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary.) 


(i)    I  John  ii,  i. 


Twentieth  Day.  311 

PETITION. 

The  first  means  of  securing  for  one's 
self  the  divine  fidelity  is  earnestly  to  de 
mand  it  of  the  grace  of  God,  for  "  a  faith 
ful  friend  is  a  gift  from  God  to  them  that 
fear  Him  and  pray  to  Him:  Amiens  Udells 
et  qui  metuant  Dominum  inveniunt  il 
ium"  God  loves  whom  He  pleases,  and 
gives  Himself  to  whom  He  pleases.  His 
choice  is  free,  and  we  have  nothing  in  us 
that  can  merit  it.  "  Fidelis  Dens  .  .  per 
quern  vocatl  estis  in  societatem  Filii  ejus 
Jesu — God  is  faithful:  by  whom  you  are 
called  unto  the  fellowship  of  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ  Our  Lord"(l).  To  those  that  He 
had  drawn  around  Him  in  the  closest,  the 
most  familiar,  the  most  tender  of  friend 
ships,  the  Divine  Master  said :  "  It  is  not 
you  who  have  chosen  Me.  By  the  dulness 
of  your  intellect,  the  narrowness  of  your 
heart,  the  impurity  of  your  soul,  you  were 
incapable  of  doing  so ;  and  again,  even  when 
become  man  such  as  you  are,  I  am  by  My 
divine  filiation  above  your  reach :  Non  vos 
me  degistis.  But  it  pleased  Me  to  single 
you  out  from  the  multitude  and  to  bow 

(i)  I  Cor.  i,  9. 


312     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

down  of  My  own  accord  to  you,  to  instruct 
you,  to  purify  and  enrich  you  in  order  to 
elevate  you  to  Me.  It  is,  then,  I  who  have 
chosen  you :  Sed  ego  elegi  vos.  Remain 
in  Me,  remain  in  My  love  which  has  made 
you  My  friends,  and  never  cease  to  deserve 
by  your  humility  and  fidelity  the  continua 
tion  of  it :  Manete  in  me,  manete  in  dilec- 
tione  me  a." 

The  second  means  of  securely  enjoying 
the  fidelity  of  Jesus  is  to  believe  in  Him 
firmly,  confidently,  lovingly,  in  submission 
and  abandonment  to  His  guidance.  "  Cre- 
ditis  in  Deum?  Et  in  me  credited  Ye  be 
lieve  in  God,  did  He  say  to  His  Apostles,  in 
His  wisdom,  in  His  truth,  in  His  power,  in 
His  goodness?  Well  then,  believe  in  Me  in 
the  same  manner:  Et  in  me  credite!  This 
is  the  condition  that  He  laid  down  for  an 
swering  all  those  that  demand  of  Him 
miracles  of  cure  or  conversion :  "  Credis  in 
Filium  Dei?"  And  He  predicted  to  Nico- 
demus  that  the  miracles  which  they  should 
see,  would  be  great  in  proportion  to  their 
faith. 

There  is  question  now  of  believing  in  the 
fidelity  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus.  First,  to  be 
lieve  that  His  help  will  never  fail,  especi- 


Twentieth  Day.  313 

ally  in  things  necessary  to  our  salvation, 
such  as  to  shun  sin,  to  resist  temptations,  to 
fulfil  our  duties ;  for  "  He  is  faithful,  and 
He  will  not  permit  us  to  be  tempted  above 
our  strength."  Still  more,  He  will  turn 
our  temptations  to  our  profit,  and  make  us 
find  in  them  strength  to  resist  even  to  the 
end:  ff Fidelis  Deus  est  qui  non  patietur 
vos  tentari  supra  id  quod  potestis,  sed  faciet 
cum  tentatione  proventum,  ut  possitis  sus- 
tinere — God  is  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer 
you  to  be  tempted  above  that  which  you  are 
able :  but  will  make  also  with  temptation 
issue,  that  you  may  be  able  to  bear  it  "(1). 
We  must  believe,  also,  that  He  will  never 
fail  to  assist  us  in  our  trials,  of  what  kind 
soever  they  may  be.  He  will  either  deliver 
us  from  them  or  He  will  give  us  the  strength 
to  accept  them,  provided  that,  being  in  a 
state  of  grace,  we  implore  His  help  with 
confidence,  humility,  and  perseverance.  He 
has  even  engaged  Himself  thereto  by  oath : 
"  Si  manseritis  in  me,  quodcumque  volueri- 
tis  petetis,  et  fief  vobls — If  you  abide  in  Me, 
and  My  words  abide  in  you,  you  shall  ask 
whatever  you  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto 

(1)    I  Cor.  x,  13. 


314     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

you  "(I)-  Lastly,  we  must  believe  in  the 
eternal  justifications  of  His  fidelity,  and  that 
He  has  in  reserve  for  us  heavenly  rewards 
that  infinitely  surpass  all  the  riches  of  which, 
in  spite  of  our  confidence  in  Him  and  all 
our  prayers,  we  have,  by  His  permission, 
been  deprived  here  below.  I*  it  not  for 
this  reason  that  He  can  without  irony  say 
to  us  that  the  poor,  the  afflicted,  the  per 
secuted  are  happy  here  below,  since  poverty, 
sufferings  and  tears  assure  them  infallibly 
the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  which  is  the  pos 
session  of  the  infinite  God  ? 

Let  us,  then,  believe  unreservedly  and  un 
hesitatingly  in  the  fidelity  of  the  Heart  of 
our  Friend.  Let  us  abandon  ourselves  to  it, 
knowing  that,  according  to  His  word,  "  the 
will  of  the  Father  is  that  whosoever  believes 
in  Him  shall  suffer  neither  hunger  nor 
thirst,  and  shall  possess  life  everlast- 
ing!(2) 

"  When  I  present  my  little  requests  to  my 
Divine  Master,  above  all  those  which  ap 
pear  difficult  to  obtain,  it  seems  to  me  that 
I  hear  these  words :  '  Dost  thou  believe 


(1)  John   xv,   7. 

(2)  John  vi,  35,  40. 


Twentieth  Day.  315 

that  I  can  do  it?  If  thou  dost  believe,  thou 
shalt  see  the  power  of  My  Heart  in  the 
magnificence  of  My  love ! '  And  again, 
seeing  the  progress  of  what  I  had  so  much 
desired,  He  said  to  me :  '  Did  I  not  tell 
thee  that,  if  thou  wouldst  believe,  thou 
shouldst  see  thy  desires  accomplished?' 
(Words  of  Our  Lord  to  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary.) 

Pray  that  you  may  have  true  reverence 
for  the  House  of  God. 

Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  let  Thy  Kingdom 
come ! 

(300  days'  Indulgence.) 


ZEwent^fim 

THE    SWEETNESS    OF    THE    HEART    OF   JESUS. 

THE  Challenge  of  our  dear  Sister  Novices 
will  be  sweetness    .    .     .     (1)  In  order  to 
practise  it,  they  will  look  upon  Our  Lord 
in   the   Most   Blessed   Sacrament   as   their 
good  Master  who  says  to  them :  "  Learn  of 
Me  to  be  meek  and  humble  of  heart,  other 
wise  you  cannot  be   loved  nor  recognized 
by  My  Sacred  Heart,  which  will  not  ac 
knowledge  you  for  Its  disciples  unless  you 
form  yourselves  on  It  by  the  practice  of  Its 
holy  maxims."     It  was  thus  that  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary  urged  souls  on  to  the  imi 
tation  of  one  of  the  two  virtues  which  the 
Saviour  proposed  as  the  dominant  virtues 
of  His   Heart.     It  is   this   sweetness,   this 
meekness,  this  gentleness  that  we  are  go 
ing  to  bless  and  adore  in  Him.     It  is  for 
it  that  we  shall  petition  after  having  de 
plored  the  faults  into  which  we  have  been 
led  by  our  infidelity  to  this  capital  virtue  of 
Christianity. 

(1)     A  challenge  is  an  invitation  to  the  practice 
of  some  special  virtue. 
316 


Twenty-first  Day.  317 

ADORATION. 

Meekness  is  planted  in  the  soul  by  nature 
to  help  to  moderate  impatience,  to  conquer 
wrath,  and  to  repress  the  desire  of  ven 
geance.  Grace  elevates  it,  perfects  it  and, 
impregnating-  it  with  supernatural  love, 
transforms  it  into  the  crowning  expression 
of  divine  charity.  It  is,  then,  one  of  the 
"  fruits  of  the  Holy  Spirit"  (1),  one  of 
those  effusions  which  flow  from  His  per 
sonal  presence  in  the  just  soul,  one  of  those 
forces  which  He  never  ceases  to  excite  and 
keep  alive,  in  order  to  manifest  His  divine 
life.  It  is,  also,  one  of  those  "  beatitudes  " 
which  rouse  to  fervor  in  the  practice  of 
virtue  and  mingle  joy  with  the  sacrifices 
it  imposes.  Calming  the  soul  against  the 
tumult  of  anger  and  the  movements  of 
rancor,  so  easily  raised,  it  inclines  it  to 
goodness  and  benevolence,  to  patience  and 
the  pardon  of  injuries.  Like  oil  on  the 
troubled  sea,  which  stills  the  angry  waves, 
meekness  mingles  with  our  relations  with 
one  another  and  sweetens  them.  It  shows 
itself  in  the  benevolent  glance  and  smile, 
in  the  affable  word,  in  the  preventing  salu- 

(1)     Gal.  v,  23. 


318     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

tation,  in  the  moderate  gesture  and  the 
modest  attitude,  in  amiable  condescension 
toward  all,  especially  the  lowly.  It  is,  in 
deed,  a  noble,  beneficent,  and  beautiful  vir 
tue,  the  one  among  all  others  especially 
pleasing  to  God,  the  one  that  conquers  men's 
hearts :  "  Quod  beneplacitum  est  ei,  fides 
et  mansuetudo  "  ( 1 ) . 

But  it  is  in  Thy  Heart  that  it  appears  in 
all  its  enchanting  beauty,  O  sweet  Jesus! 
Thou  hast  a  good  right  to  call  us  all  to 
study  it  therein,  to  contemplate  it  as  a  mar 
vel  worthy  of  adoration  and  admiration: 
"  Discite  a  me  quid  mitis  sum  Corde. — 
Learn  of  Me  that  I  am  meek  and  humble  of 
Heart."  There  lies  the  infinite  sweetness 
of  Thy  Divine  Nature,  which  is  "  Meekness 
and  sweetness  in  their  very  essence: 
Quoniam  tu  Domine  suavis  et  mitis 
es"(2).  It  is  the  entire  plenitude  of 
sweetness  which  "  the  most  sweet  Spirit 
of  God  "(3)  willed  to  create  in  heaven  and 
upon  earth,  and  which  He  laid  up  in  Thy 
Heart :  "  Spiritus  Domini  super  me,  eo 


(1)  Ecclus.  i,  35.     Ps.  xxxvi,  11. 

(2)  Joel   ii,   13. 

(3)  Wisd.    xii,    1. 


Twenty-first  Day.  319 

quod  uiLverit  me  "(I).  There  is  con 
tained  the  sweetness  that  Thou  didst  will 
to  practise  with  all  Thy  Heart  in  order  to 
accomplish  Thy  mission  of  servant  of  God 
and  Saviour  of  men.  It  is  the  fruit  of  Thy 
experience  of  our  miseries  and  the  expres 
sion  of  Thy  compassion  for  our  innumera 
ble  evils :  "  In  eo  enim  in  quo  passus  est 
ipse  et  tentatus,  potens  est  ct  eis  qui  ten- 
tot  us  desirderabilis  "  ( 3) . 

The  sweetness  that  issues  from  Thy 
Heart  so  profoundly  penetrates  all  Thy 
powers,  clothes  Thy  whole  being  with  such 
charms  that,  making  of  Thee  the  Incarnate 
Sweetness,  the  Sweetness  poured  out,  it 
renders  Thee  perfectly  amiable  and  desir 
able  :  "  Guttur  Dilecti  mei  suavissimum,  ct 
totus  desirderabilis  "  ( 3  ) . 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  therefore, 
that  the  Sacrament  which  has  issued  from 
the  Heart  of  Jesus  as  the  ripe  fruit  of  His 
most  tender  love  and  which  maintains  Jesus 
Himself  in  the  truth  of  His  two  natures 
and  in  the  experience  of  our  miseries,  con 
tains  sweetness  in  its  every  form :  "  Panem 

(1)  Is.  Ixi,  1. 

(2)  Heb.  ii,  18. 

(3)  Cant,   v,  6. 


320     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

in  se  habentem  omnis  saporis  suavitatem," 
and  should  be  the  convincing  demonstration 
of  the  sweetness  of  God  and  of  His  Son 
Jesus:  " Substantia  tua  dulcedinem  tuai.i 
quam  in  filios  habes  ostendebat  "(1). 

Lord,  I  will  approach  Thy  Sacrament,  I 
will  penetrate  even  to  Thy  Heart,  I  will 
plunge  therein !  I  will  eat  It,  and  I  shall  be 
nourished  by  It  in  truth.  After  having 
tasted  Its  honey  on  my  lips:  " Fructus  ejus 
dulcis  gutturi  meo"(2),  I  shall  live  on 
the  ever  present  thought  of  Thy  supera 
bundant  sweetness :  "  Memoriam  abun- 
dantice  suavitatis  tua  entctabunt "  (3) . 

THANKSGIVING. 

How  well  it  is  for  us  that  Jesus,  desiring 
to  submit  us  to  His  empire,  to  instruct  us 
in  His  doctrine,  and  to  direct  us  in  the 
ways  which  lead  to  God,  has  founded  all 
His  rights  on  the  sweetness  of  His  Heart, 
and  placed  in  It  the  chief  means  of  leading 
us  to  Himself:  " Discite  a  me  quid  mitis 
sum  Corde:  Come  to  My  school  and  tread 
in  My  footsteps,  because  I  am  meek  of 

(1)   Wisd.   xvi,   20,   21. 
'2)   Cant,  ii,  3. 
3)   Ps.  cxliv,  7. 


Twenty-first  Day.  321 

Heart.  My  yoke  is  sweet,  and  light  is  the 
burden  that  I  shall  place  on  your  shoul 
ders  :  Jugum  enim  incum  suave  est  et  onus 
meum  leve." 

Experience  teaches,  and  reason  confirms 
the  truth  that,  though  we  may  conquer  by 
violence,  we  can  reign  only  by  sweetness. 
The  human  will  is  such  that  it  may,  in 
deed,  bend  if  we  gain  it  and  yield  unre 
servedly;  but  it  becomes  inflexible  when 
force  is  exerted  against  it.  Violence 
rouses  resistance  and  revolt.  The  Wise 
Man  tells  us  this :  f(  Verbum  dulce  multipli- 
cat  amicos  et  lingua  ciicharis  in  bono  honi- 
ine  abundat — A  sweet  word  multiplieth 
friends  .  .  .  and  a  gracious  tongue  in 
a  good  man  aboundeth  "  (1). 

Moses  and  David,  the  great  leaders  chosen 
by  God  for  His  well-beloved  people,  were 
men  so  gentle  of  character  that  they  faith 
fully  practised  sweetness  in  the  government 
of  men,  and  made  it  the  principal  factor  of 
their  own  sanctification  :  "  In  fide  et  bonitate 
ipsius  (May sis),  sanctum  fecit  ilium"  (2). 

It  was  under  the  character  of  sweetness 


(1)  Ecclus.   vi,   5. 

(2)  Ibid,    xlv,    4. 


322     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

that  Jesus  presented  Himself  to  the  world 
over  which  He  sought  to  reign:  " Ecce 
Rex  tuus  venit  tibi  mansuetus  "  (1) .  It 
was  under  the  charms  of  the  sweetest  In 
fant  that  He  appeared  :  "  Benignitas  et 
humanitas  apparuit  Salvatoris  nostri 
Dei  "(2).  And  the  first  time  that  He  ad 
dressed  the  multitude,  He  said  to  them: 
11  The  Spirit  of  sweetness  has  descended 
upon  Me,  and  hath  anointed  Me.  It  has  sent 
Me  to  announce  glad  tidings  to  the  poor,  to 
heal  the  contrite  of  heart,  to  deliver  the  cap 
tive,  to  give  sight  to  the  blind,  and  to  restore 
broken  members.  I  come  to  preach  the 
great  pardon  of  God,  to  promise  the  day 
of  compensation  to  the  oppressed,  to  re 
store  the  exile  to  his  country,  to  console 
all  who  weep,  and  to  transform  the  whole 
world  into  a  just  and  victorious  people, 
from  whom  will  rise  to  the  Lord  a  concert 
of  praise  and  glorification  "(3).  And  the 
title  which  proclaims  the  sweetness,  the 
condescension,  the  solicitous  and  devoted 
attention  of  His  government,  is  a  title  of 
supreme  goodness :  "  I  have  pity  on  this 

(1)  Zach.   ix,   9. 

(2)  Tit.  iii,  4. 

(3)  Is.   Ixi,    1. 


Twenty-first  Day,  323 

multitude,  which  is  like  sheep  without  a 
shepherd.  I  am  the  good  Shepherd.  I 
know  my  sheep.  I  call  each  one  by  his 
name,  and  I  give  My  life  for  them !  " 

The  same  sweetness  inspires  every  action 
of  the  Eucharist  over  the  conduct  of  our 
souls.  This  action  consists  in  making  them 
live  of  the  divine  and  supernatural  life,  in 
making  them  advance  in  it  unceasingly,  un 
til  it  leads  them  to  the  goal  of  eternal  life, 
to  perfect  resemblance  with  God.  It  meets 
weakness,  opposition,  treason  in  our  vi 
cious  nature  instinctively  borne  to  evil  and 
rebellious  of  sacrifice.  This  it  is  that  ren 
ders  the  action  of  grace  difficult,  laborious, 
slow,  and  uncertain.  Now,  the  Eucharistic 
Christ  exercises  it  with  infinite  sweetness, 
with  marvellous  pliancy  to  the  faculties,  as 
well  as  to  the  needs  of  all.  He  shows  touch 
ing  condescension  to  our  weakness,  heroic 
patience  in  supporting  our  hesitancy  and 
slowness,  indefatigable  longanimity  in  par 
doning  us,  raising  us  up,  incessantly  recom 
mencing  the  same  old  task,  so  obstinately 
compromised  by  our  frivolity  and  tepidity. 
Nothing  discourages  Him,  nothing  exas 
perates  Him,  nothing  disturbs  His  equa- 


324:     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

nimity  or  sweet  benevolence.  Still  more 
in  order  to  encourage  us  while  elevating  us, 
He  transforms  every  obedience,  every  effort, 
every  act  of  virtue  into  acts  of  love,  that 
noble  and  sublime  virtue,  the  queen  of  all 
virtues.  He  traverses  the  ages,  presenting 
Himself  to  all  men,,  saying  to  them  as  He 
reveals  to  them  His  Heart:  "  Come  to 
Me,  all  ye  who  labor,  and  I  will  refresh 
you.  Abide  in  Me,  abide  in  My  love,  for 
you  are  no  longer  strangers  or  servants,  but 
most  dear  friends :  Manete  in  dilectione 
meal" 

O  Christ,  infinitely  good  at  Heart,  be 
Thou  blessed  for  treating  my  misery  with 
so  much  sweetness:  " Parasti  in  dulcedine 
tua  paupcri,  Deus !"(!). 

REPARATION. 

Sweetness  in  all  its  plenitude  has  been 
stored  up  in  the  Heart  of  Jesus.  The  Man- 
God  is  constantly  producing  most  perfect 
and  meritorious  acts  of  it,  in  order  to  offer 
to  God  reparation  for  the  dreadful  sin  of 
wrath  with  its  retinue  of  disputes,  ven 
geance,  homicide,  and  bloody  wars. 

(i)  Ps.  Ixvii,  11. 


Twenty-first  Day.  325 

Anger  is  one  of  the  principal  forms  of 
pride,  which  suffers  no  yoke,  and  of  ego 
tism,  which  will  endure  no  opposition.  The 
Lord  holds  pride  in  horror.  Anger  is  one 
of  the  outward  expressions  of  hatred,  and 
it  kills  in  the  soul  charity  for  the  neighbor. 
He  who  is  in  hatred  is  in  death.  Anger,  in 
fine,  inspires  vengeance,  which  usurps  the 
rights  of  Him  who  has  said:  " Mihi  vin- 
dicta,  ego  r etribuam  "  ( 1 ) .  It  is  the  mother 
of  despair,  whither  it  so  quickly  draws  its 
blind  victims,  and  its  outbursts  never  fail 
to  scandalize  souls.  By  every  title,  there 
fore,  it  is  one  of  the  seven  capital  sins,  a 
deadly  sin  by  its  very  nature.  The  most 
sweet  Saviour  condemns  to  eternal  judg 
ment  "  him  who  is  angry  against  his  broth 
er  and  who  injures  him  in  his  wrath:  Ego 
dico  vobis  quia  omnis  qui  irascitur  fratri 
suo}  reus  erit  gehenna  ignis  "(2).  We  un 
derstand,  in  effect,  that  the  most  just  anger 
of  God  arms  itself  against  the  wrath  of 
man  always  unjust,  since  all  men  are  equal 
by  origin,  by  sin,  and  by  their  destiny,  in 
spite  of  the  accidental  differences  that  dis 
tinguish  them  during  life. 

(1)  Rom.    xii,    19. 

(2)  Matt,   v,   22. 


326     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

It  was  to  expiate  the  crime  of  human 
wrath  and  to  appease  the  holy  anger  of  God 
by  lovingly  undergoing  its  vengeance,  that 
the  Son  of  God  became  incarnate.  This 
double  design  condemned  Him  to  appear 
as  a  victim  and  to  undergo  its  terrible  des 
tiny.  For  that  purpose,  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  that  the  Christ  should  be  meek, 
invincibly  sweet.  We  cannot  imagine  an 
expiatory  victim,  freely  offered,  anything 
else.  From  the  moment  that  He  offered 
Himself  to  satisfy  outraged  Majesty,  de 
spised  Sovereignty,  Justice  aggrieved,  Love 
unknown,  He  had  silently  and  intrepidly  to 
bear  the  burden  even  to  the  end  with  the 
same  generous  love.  It  is  this  sweetness 
in  lovingly  enduring  that  gives  to  the  sac 
rifice  the  savory  odor  which  renders  it  so 
agreeable  to  the  Lord :  "  Odor  suavissimus, 
victims  Domini  "(I).  The  victim  par  ex 
cellence  of  the  sacrifices  instituted  by  the 
Lord  was  a  lamb. 

Jesus  is  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  comes  to 
take  away  the  sins  of  the  world.  Sheep 
revolted  against  the  Eternal  Shepherd,  we 
were  all  wandering  through  the  ways  of 

(1)  Exod.  xxii,  18. 


Twenty-first  Day.  327 

evil  and  misfortune  when  it  pleased  God  to 
charge  His  Son  with  our  iniquities.  He 
consented  to  be  offered  for  us  without  open 
ing  His  mouth  to  ask  an  explanation,  plead 
His  justification,  or  utter  a  cry  of  sorrow. 
He  was  led  to  death  as  a  lamb  to  the 
slaughter,  and  He  was  silent  as  a  lamb  in 
the  hands  of  him  who  shears  it  for  the 
sacrifice  (1).  How  gentle  He  was  under 
the  inexorable  severity  of  His  Father  dur 
ing  His  Passion!  How  sweet  to  those 
that  made  Him  suffer! — to  Judas  who  be 
trayed  Him,  to  Peter  who  denied  Him,  to 
the  Apostles  who  abandoned  Him,  to  the 
judges  who  condemned  Him,  to  the  exe 
cutioners  who  tortured  Him!  When,  at 
last,  He  broke  silence,  it  was  because  His 
Heart  could  no  longer  contain  the  excess  of 
Its  sweetness.  His  pity  for  all  who  caused 
His  death  forced  Him  to  plead  their  pardon 
with  His  Father:  "Pater,  dimitte  illis,  non 
enim  sciunt  quid  facmnt! — Father,  forgive 
them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do !  " 

This  sweetness  in  enduring  everything, 
so  necessary  for  a  victim,  follows  the  Eu- 
charistic  Lamb  into  the  Sacrament  in  which 


(1)  Ts.  liii,  19. 


328     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

He  incessantly  renews  the  sacrifice  of  His 
Passion  and  death.  It  is  manifested  in  the 
invincible  patience  with  which  He  there  sup 
ports  the  injuries  which  from  all  sides  at 
tack  Him  in  the  weakness,  inert  and  incapa 
ble  of  resistance,  of  His  sacramental  state. 

What  does  He  endure?  Irreverence, 
frivolity,  culpable  negligence  in  the  manner 
of  treating  with  Him, — irreverence  in  the 
choice  and  use  of  things  improper  for  His 
worship,  manifesting  rather  the  little  esteem 
they  have  of  Him  than  the  respect  and 
gratitude  they  owe  Him.  And  the  secret 
treason  of  sacrilegious  Consecration  and 
Communions  (of  which  He  alone  knows  all 
the  outrage  and  bitterness)  are  joined  to 
public  profanation,  to  blasphemies  and 
mockeries,  to  the  violence  of  persecution 
which  chases  Him  from  His  abodes  as  a 
malefactor  who  has  no  rights,  and  against 
whom  every  form  of  outrage  is  permitted! 

Jesus  sees  these  injuries.  He  experiences 
all  their  horror,  and  He  feels  against  their 
authors  the  most  just  wrath  and  the  most 
legitimate  vengeance.  But  His  incredible 
sweetness  restrains  Him,  leads  Him  to  ac 
cept  all  in  order  to  perpetuate  before  His 
Father  His  sacrifice  of  expiation,  and  to 


Twenty -first  Day.  329 

gain  our  hearts  by  showing  us  what  He  is 
capable  of  enduring  for  our  sake.  He  is 
always  the  "  Lamb "  of  whom  St.  Peter 
says,  "  Who  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile 
found  in  His  mouth.  Who,  when  He  was 
reviled,  did  not  revile;  when  He  suffered, 
He  threatened  not;  but  delivered  Himself 
to  him  that  judged  Him  unjustly.  Who 
His  own  self  bore  our  sins  in  His  body  upon 
the  tree :  that  we  being  dead  to  sins,  should 
live  to  justice  by  whose  stripes  you  were 
healed.  For  you  were  as  sheep  going 
astray:  but  you  are  now  converted  to  the 
shepherd  and  bishop  of  your  souls.  For 
Christ  also  suffered  for  us,  leaving  you  an 
example  that  you  should  follow  His  foot 
steps  "  (1). 

PETITION. 

"  Memento,  Domine,  David  et  omnis 
mansuetudinis  ejusl — O  Lord,  remember 
David  and  all  his  meekness !  "  (2)  It  is 
through  the  meekness  of  Thy  Christ  so 
perfect,  so  meritorious,  and  so  agreeable  in 
Thy  eyes,  that  I  supplicate  Thee,  O  God, 
Thou  who  dost  "  receive  only  the  prayer  of 

(1)  I    Peter    ii,    20-24. 

(2)  Ps.  cxxxi,  1. 


330     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  meek,"  that  is,  of  those  that  overcame 
anger  and  suffer  in  patience:  " Suscipiens 
mansuetos  D  ominus  "  (\) .  We  know  that 
"  Non  enim  superbit  ab  initio  placuerunt 
tibi,  D omine,  sed  huniilium  et  mansuetorum 
semper  tibi  placuit  dcprecatio — Nor  from 
the  beginning  have  the  proud  been  accept 
able  to  Thee ;  but  the  prayer  of  the  humble 
and  the  meek  hath  always  pleased 
Thee  "(2).  It  is  an  abundant  communication 
of  the  meekness  of  His  Heart  that  I  implore 
of  Thee,  O  Father,  for  I  have  so  much  need 
of  it  in  all  my  works  and  toward  all  with 
whom  I  deal!  St.  Thomas,  the  great  in 
terpreter  of  Thy  thoughts,  says  very  justly: 
"  Mansuetudo  est  bonitas  cujuslibet  ad 
quemlibet — Meekness  obliges  us  to  be  all 
to  all  "(3). 

It  is  toward  my  neighbor,  toward  every 
neighbor,  in  whatever  relation  I  may  stand 
to  him,  whether  as  superior,  inferior,  or 
equal,  that  meekness  ought  to  dominate  my 
sentiments  and  their  expression,  above  all, 
if  I  feel  a  natural  antipathy  toward  him,  or 
if  he  has  offended  me.  Courtesy,  affability, 


(1)  Ps.  cxlvi,  6. 

(2)  Judith  ix,  16. 

(3)  2a  2cr,  q.   cxlvii,  a.   1. 


Twenty-first  Day.  331 

support,  sincere  pardon,  forgetfulness  of 
injury,  kindness  testified, — these  are  the 
duties  of  Thy  exquisite  and  sanctifying 
sweetness,  O  my  God,  and  I  should  imitate 
them  perseveringly.  "  Sectare  charitatem, 
patientiam,  mansuetudinem — In  charity,  in 
long-suffering,  in  sweetness  "(1).  All  who 
are  by  nature  or  by  grace  my  brethren  in 
the  charity  of  Thy  Heart  have  a  right  to 
expect  this  from  me :  "  Omnein  ostendentes 
mansuetudinem  ad  onines — Showing  all 
mildness  toward  all  men  "(2). 

It  is  plain  to  me  that  my  duty  is  to  be 
meek,  not  with  a  soft  or  effeminate  sweet 
ness,  but  with  that  which  will  lead  me  to  act 
wisely,  to  shun  impatience,  anger,  exaspera 
tion,  which  rouse  in  my  soul  agitation  and 
discouragement.  "Fill,  in  mansuetudine 
serva  animam  tuam — My  son,  keep  thy  soul 
in  meekness  "(3).  "Guard  me,  then,  O 
my  God,  by  the  penetrating  power  of  Thy 
infinite  sweetness,  against  impatience  which 
obstacles  so  easily  produce  in  me  when  my 
mind  is  gloomy  and  my  heart  is  dry,  when 
I  am  laboring  under  fatigue  and  sickness, 

(1)  I  Tim.  11. 

(2)  Tit.  iii,  2. 

(3)  Ecclus.   x,   31. 


332     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

disqualifications  and  ignorance,  difficulties 
in  the  prosecution  of  good  and  the  overcom 
ing  of  defects,  and  the  importunity  of  temp 
tation.  Guard  me,  above  all,  when  my  ef 
forts  are  useless,  my  hopes  frustrated,  when 
failure  attends  all  my  undertakings,  when 
humiliation  wears  me  out.  Grant  me  g*ace 
even  then  to  persevere  meekly  in  the  labor 
of  my  sanctification :  '  In  mansuetudine 
opera  tua  perfice — Do  thy  work  in  meek 
ness '(1),  and  to  redouble  supernatural 
sweetness  in  the  ministry  confided  to  me: 
'Deo  niinistros  in  suavitate,  in  Spiritu 
Sane  to — In  sweetness  in  the  Holy 
Ghost  '"(2). 

And  toward  Thyself,  O  my  Sovereign 
Lord,  against  Thy  august  rights  and  Thy 
paternal  conduct  over  me,  my  pride  dares 
impatiently  rise  up  to  question  Thee,  to 
blame,  and  even  to  condemn,  as  if  Thou 
didst  owe  me  anything  else  than  the  chas 
tisements  of  Thy  just  anger — ah !  grant  that 
I  may  be  meek,  patient,  silent,  always  grate 
ful,  always  content  and  smiling!  Yes,  may 
I  so  comport  myself  under  the  pressure  of 


(1)  Ibid.   Hi,  19. 

(2)  II  Cor.  vi,  6 


Twenty-first  Day.  333 

Thy  will  and  toward  all  the  instruments 
that  manifest  it  to  me,  however  much  they 
may  contradict  my  own  ideas,  however 
much  they  interfere  with  my  own  inde 
pendence  and  pleasure.  I  know  well,  my 
God,  that  Thou  dost  hear,  help,  and  save 
only  those  that  are  supple  and  docile  under 
Thy  almighty  hand,  who  bend  to  Thy  good 
pleasure,  which  is  ever  just,  wise,  and  benefi 
cent  in  whatever  form  it  may  appear :  "  Quid 
beneplacitum  est  Domino  in  populo  suo,  et 
exaltabit  mansuetos  in  salutem — For  the 
Lord  is  well  pleased  with  His  people:  and 
He  will  exalt  the  meek  unto  salva 
tion  !"(!). 

"  If  you  wish  to  be  a  disciple  of  the  Sa 
cred  Heart  of  Jesus,  you  must  become  meek 
and  humble  like  Him: — meek  to  support 
the  annoyances,  humors,  and  chagrin  of 
your  neighbor,  without  vexing  yourself 
over  the  little  contradictions  that  they  may 
cause  you ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  performing 
for  him  whatever  services  you  can,  for  this 
is  the  true  means  by  which  to  gain  the  good 
graces  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  You  must  be 
sweet  in  order  not  to  be  disquieted  in  events 


(1)   Ps.  cxlix,  4. 
23 


334     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

opposed  to  your  inclinations,  but  also  even 
in  the  faults  you  may  commit.  Still  more, 
you  must  not  excuse  yourself,  since  our 
adorable  Master  did  not  do  so  in  His  Pas 
sion.  Rejoice  when  you  are  forgotten  and 
despised,  for  that  is  the  true  means  of  mak 
ing  the  amiable  Heart  of  Jesus  reign  in  ours. 
Let  us  humble  ourselves  and  allow  ourselves 
to  be  humbled."  ( Words  of  Blessed  Mar 
garet  Mary.) 

Beg  Our  Eucharistic  Lord  to  fill  your 
heart  with  love  for  your  neighbor. 

Our  Lady  of  the  Cenacle,  pray  for  us. 
(50  days'  Indulgence.) 


Dap. 


THE  SACRED  HEART  AND  THE  ANGELS. 

THE  angels  are  the  elite  subjects  of  the 
kingdom  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  Created  by 
a  love  of  preference,  which  made  them  pure 
spirits  after  the  image  of  God,  who  is  a 
spirit;  prevented  by  love,  which  preserved 
them  from  the  fall  into  which  Lucifer  pre 
cipitated  the  unfaithful  legions;  absorbed 
in  the  love  of  the  Beatific  Vision,  —  by  all 
these  titles  they  belong  most  intimately  to  the 
Sacred  Heart,  the  symbol  of  divine  love. 
To  make  some  return  to  that  Sacred  Heart, 
they  love  and  adore  It,  they  celebrate  It, 
and  eagerly  fulfil  all  Its  desires  in  the  gov 
ernment  of  creation.  Our  duty,  not  less 
than  our  privilege,  is  to  unite  with  the  an 
gels  in  loving  more  ardently  and  serving 
more  perfectly  the  Sacred  Heart  according 
to  Its  own  demand  of  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary  :  "  The  Divine  Heart  desires  that 
we  maintain  special  union  with  the  angels, 
who  are  particularly  destined  to  love,  honor, 
and  praise  It  in  the  divine  Sacrament  of 
Love  in  order  that,  being  associated  with 

335 


336     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

them,   they  may   in   His   Divine    Presence 
plead  for  us." 

ADORATION. 

Though  never  absent  from  the  throne 
of  the  Heavenly  Lamb,  the  angels  press 
around  the  Eucharistic  tabernacles,  one  of 
their  chief  functions  being  to  adore  the 
Heart  of  Jesus  hidden  under  the  sacramen 
tal  veils. 

As  soon  as  the  Lord  had  resolved  to 
place  His  Heart  prophetically  on  the  Ark 
of  the  Covenant:  " Et  erit  Cor  meum  ibi 
cunctis  diebus — And  my  Heart  will  re 
main  there  perpetually "  (1),  He  ordered 
Moses  "  to  cast  two  cherubim  of  beaten  gold, 
which  he  set  on  the  two  sides  of  the  pro 
pitiatory,  spreading  their  wings,  and  cover 
ing  the  propitiatory,  and  looking  one  to 
wards  the  other,  and  towards  it."  In  our 
day,  He  orders  the  innumerable  choirs  of 
blessed  spirits  to  adore  Him  really  present 
and  living  in  the  Holy  of  Holies,  the  Hu 
manity  of  the  Word,  hidden  under  the  form 
of  the  Sacrament :  Cum  iterum  introducit 
Primogenitum  in'  orbem  terrae  dicit.  Et 
adorent  eum  omnes  angeli  del — And  again, 

(1)     II.  Par.  vii,  16. 


Twenty-second  Day.  337 

when  he  bringeth  in  the  first-begotten  into 
the  world,  he  saith :  And  let  all  the  angels 
of  God  adore  him(l). 

They  adore  Him  in  the  morning  of  their 
creation  when,  revealing  to  them  the  "  Sac 
rament  of  His  will  and  of  His  love,"  the 
Father  showed  them  His  only  Son  lying  in 
a  crib,  clothed  with  the  flesh  of  sinful  man. 
Stupefied  with  wonder,  they  contemplate 
Him  abased  below  themselves  by  the  infe 
riority  of  His  corporal  nature :  "  Qui  mo- 
dico  quam  angeli  minor atus  est — Who  was 
made  a  little  lower  than  the  angels  "(2). 
But  they  recognize  at  the  same  time  that  the 
human  Heart  of  their  Creator,  deified  by 
His  personal  union  with  the  Word,  is  as 
much  superior  to  them  as  God  is  to  the  crea 
ture;  therefore,  they  adore  It  humbly,  for 
It  was  the  Heart  of  Him  to  whom  the 
Father  said  from  all  eternity :  "  Thou  art 
my  Son !  Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  forever 
and  ever:  a  sceptre  of  justice  is  the  sceptre 
of  Thy  Kingdom  "(3). 

They  discover  Him  now  still  more  abased 
in  the  annihilations  of  the  sacramental  state. 


(1)  Heb.  i,  6. 

(2)  Heb.   ii,  9. 

(3)  Heb.  i,  8. 


338     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

He  has  neither  form  nor  movement  nor 
warmth  to  reveal  His  Presence.  He  is,  as 
it  were,  buried  in  the  dust  of  the  tomb.  And 
yet,  It  is  the  immortal  Heart  of  God  resus 
citated,  the  furnace  of  life  and  love,  the 
ocean  of  all  joy,  the  source  of  every  good 
for  heaven  and  earth !  They  adore  It,  and 
unreservedly  devote  themselves  to  Its  serv 
ice.  The  cherubim  extend  their  wings 
over  Its  sacramental  weakness  to  protect 
It,  while  fixing  their  eyes  upon  It  to  con 
template  all  the  wonders  that  It  contains. 
Nothing  can  separate  them  from  Its  pres 
ence,  except  Its  own  will  and  the  execu 
tion  of  Its  orders. 

The  chief  of  these  true  adorers,  inaccess 
ible  to  sleep  or  distraction  is,  without 
doubt,  the  Archangel  St.  Michael,  who  in 
heaven  secured  to  the  Word  the  adoration 
of  the  faithful  angels.  In  contemplating 
the  splendor  of  the  divine  nature  in  the 
Sacred  Heart  and  the  beauties  of  Its  hu 
man  nature,  Its  sanctity,  Its  love,  Its  mag 
nificent  works  concealed  under  humility 
still  more  resplendent,  he  forever  repeats  to 
It,  and  the  surrounding  angels  take  up  the 
refrain :  "  Quis  ut  Deus? — Who  is  like  to 
God  ?"  It  is  the  homage  of  adoration,  but 


Twenty-second  Day.  339 

powerless  to  express  all  that  it  feels.  What 
pure  spirit,  however  holy  or  mighty,  is  com 
parable  to  the  Heart  of  God  made  man? 
Who  deserves  to  be  loved,  served,  and  glori 
fied  as  He? 

How  perfect  is  this  adoration  of  the  an 
gelic  spirits  in  whom  is  reflected  the  splen 
dor  of  the  Vision !  They  overflow  with  be 
atific  love.  Neither  in  the  weight  of  the 
senses,  nor  in  the  resistance  of  the  least 
egoism,  nor  in  the  illusion  of  the  slightest 
shade  of  pride,  do  they  encounter  an  obsta 
cle  to  their  adoration  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
Let  us,  then,  unite  with  them  to  adore  the 
Sacred  Heart.  Let  us  offer  the  love,  sub 
mission,  purity,  and  humility  of  their  ado 
ration.  They  invite  us  to  adore  with  them, 
and  the  Sacred  Heart  approves  it,  find 
ing  therein  glory  and  satisfaction. 

"The  Adorable  Heart  of  my  Jesus  was 
shown  to  me,"  says  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary,  "  more  brilliant  than  the  sun.  It 
was  in  the  midst  of  the  flames  of  His  pure 
love,  and  surrounded  by  seraphim,  who 
sang  in  ravishing  harmony: 

'Love  triumphs,  love  enjoys; 

The  love  of  the  Sacred  Heart  gladdens ! ' 


340     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

"  The  blessed  spirits  invited  me  to  join 
with  them  in  praising  the  amiable  Heart, 
but  I  dared  not  do  it.  Then  they  told  me 
that  they  had  come  to  unite  with  me  in  ren 
dering  It  a  continual  homage  of  love,  ado 
ration,  and  praise,  and  at  the  same  time 
they  wrote  this  association  in  the  Sacred 
Heart,  in  letters  of  gold  and  ineffaceable 
characters  of  love." 

THANKSGIVING. 

Another  function  of  the  angels  that 
stand  before  the  face  of  God  is  to  chant 
His  praises,  to  bless  Him  and  magnify 
Him  in  the  joy  of  a  gratitude  always  new. 
"All  the  angels,"  says  St.  John,  "stand 
around  the  throne,  singing  in  a  loud  voice: 
Amen !  benediction  and  thanksgiving  to  our 
God  forever  and  ever !  Amen !  "  And  to  this 
canticle  to  the  Divinity,  they  added  praise 
to  the  Humanity  of  the  Incarnate  Word: 
'  The  Lamb  that  was  slain  is  worthy  to  re 
ceive  power  and  divinity  and  wisdom  and 
strength  and  honor  and  glory  and  benedic 
tion  !  " 

They  owe  to  love  and,  consequently,  to 
the  Sacred  Heart,  the  gift  of  their  sublime 
nature,  the  privilege  of  their  magnificent 


Twenty-second  Day.  341 

destiny,  the  grace  of  their  perseverance  in 
good  and  their  victory  over  Lucifer — in  fine, 
the  glory  and  the  beatitude  of  their  recom 
pense.  All  these  benefits  were  granted  them 
through  the  merits  of  the  Word  Incarnate, 
consequently,  in  view  of  the  Adorable  Heart 
of  their  Chief,  through  the  merits  of  the 
love  with  which  He  deigned  to  love  them, 
and  of  the  suffering  which  He  embraced  in 
order  to  obtain  for  them  eternal  salvation. 
They  experienced  ineffable  delights  on  re 
ceiving  from  the  depths  in  which  was  hid 
den  the  Heart  of  their  God  illuminations 
unknown  to  them,  and  on  feeling  themselves 
inundated  with  joys  springing  from  its 
love,  for  they  clearly  understood  with  what 
love  the  Sacred  Heart  was  animated  for 
them.  They  magnified  It,  also,  for  having 
made  Itself  the  Bread  of  the  viator,  and  for 
all  the  benefits  which  that  good  Heart  never 
ceases  to  scatter  among  men  in  order  to 
lead  them  to  eat  with  themselves  the  Bread 
of  Heaven  at  the  eternal  table.  Their  grati 
tude  is  pure,  full,  overflowing,  disinterested. 
It  binds  them  by  irrevocable  bonds  to  the 
liberal  Heart  from  which  they  constantly 
behold  flowing  to  them  the  plenitude  of 
good. 

24 


342     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

The  Archangel  Gabriel  leads  the  choir  of 
thanksgiving,  because  he  was  the  messen 
ger  of  substantial  grace,  when  he  an 
nounced  to  Mary  the  inexpressible  Gift  of 
the  Incarnation.  It  was  he  who  placed  up 
on  her  lips  the  canticle  of  gratitude  par  ex 
cellence,  the  Magnificat. 

Let  us  unite  in  the  Alleluia,  chanted  night 
and  day  by  the  angels  around  the  Sacred 
Heart,  and  thus  offer  to  It  our  thanksgiv 
ings,  also.  Let  the  first  act  of  our  gratitude 
be  for  the  supremely  loving  thought  of  the 
Heart  of  the  best  of  fathers  in  giving 
each  of  us  one  of  His  angels  to  conduct  us, 
to  guard  us,  to  assist  and  console  us.  Ah! 
He  well  knew  that  we  are  weak,  lonely,  ex 
posed,  and  unhappy !  Let  us,  then,  bless 
It  for  all  the  benefits  that  come  to  us 
through  the  devoted  and  vigilant  protection 
of  our  angel  guardians.  They  are  for 
us  one  of  the  best  gifts  of  the  Sacred 
Heart. 

"  Once  when  I  was  in  great  sorrow," 
says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  "  Our  Lord 
came  to  console  me,  saying :  '  My  daughter, 
be  not  sad,  for  I  am  going  to  give  thee  a 
guardian  who  will  accompany  thee  every 
where  and  hinder  thy  enemy  from  prevail- 


Twenty-second  Day.  343 

ing  against  thee.  All  the  faults  into  which 
the  latter  will,  by  his  suggestions,  try  to 
make  thee  fall,  will  turn  to  his  own  confu 
sion.'  This  favor  gave  me  such  strength 
that  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  had  nothing  to 
fear,  for  the  faithful  guardian  of  my  soul 
assisted  me  so  lovingly  that  he  freed  me 
from  all  my  pains.  Once  he  said  to  me :  '  I 
want  to  tell  thee  who  I  am  that  thou  mayst 
know  the  love  thy  Spouse  has  for  thee.  I 
am  one  of  those  that  are  nearest  the  throne 
of  the  Divine  Majesty  and  participate  most 
fully  in  the  ardors  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of 
Jesus  Christ.  My  intention  is  to  communi 
cate  them  to  thee  in  as  great  abundance  as 
thou  wilt  be  capable  of  receiving  them.' " 

REPARATION. 

The  angels,  pure  spirits,  established  in 
beatitude,  can  not  suffer.  If  Holy  Scrip 
ture  represents  them  uttering  cries  and 
weeping  bitterly  at  sight  of  the  multiplied 
disasters  caused  by  the  King  of  Assyria, 
"  Ecce  vivendes  clamabunt  foris,  angeli  pa 
ds  amare  flebunt — Behold  they  that  see 
shall  cry  without,  the  angels  of  peace  shall 
weep  bitterly"  (1),  it  is  to  express  the  ar- 

(O     Is.  xxxiii,  7. 


344     The  Eucharist  ic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

dor  of  their  love  and  the  tenderness  of  their 
compassion.  They  feel  for  us  in  the  same 
way  that  God  Himself  pities  us,  namely, 
by  a  keen  sense  of  our  miseries,  by  assist 
ing  us  powerfully,  their  own  happiness  in 
the  meantime  experiencing  no  diminution. 
No  suffering  can  attack  their  incorporeal 
and  glorified  nature. 

It  is  to  their  Adorable  Chief,  abased  so 
far  below  them  by  the  sufferings  which  in 
this  life  made  up  the  condition  of  His  exist 
ence,  that  their  pity  is  first  extended.  They 
follow  Him  from  the  Crib  to  Calvary  to 
strengthen  Him,  to  sustain  and  console  His 
Heart,  into  whch  flow  torrents  of  afflic 
tions.  They  warmed  Him  with  their  breath 
on  that  cold  December  night  of  His  birth. 
They  extended  over  His  Mother  and  Him 
self  the  shelter  of  their  wings  during  their 
journey  into  exile  through  the  sands  of 
Egypt,  and  under  the  scorching  sun.  For 
forty  days  they  were  with  Him  in  the  des 
ert  ready  to  serve  Him  and  to  give  Him 
the  bread  for  which  He  hungered  when  Sa 
tan  dared  to  insult  Him  by  temptation. 
They  strengthened  Him  in  the  terrors  and 
the  sweat  of  the  bloody  Agony  when,  falling 
prostrate  on  the  ground,  He  implored  His 


Twenty-second  Day.  345 

Father  to  remove  from  Him  the  chalice  of 
His  wrath.  They  rushed  in  impatient  le 
gions  to  exterminate  His  enemies  when  the 
hideous  troops  went  out  to  seize  Him.  But 
being  restrained  by  His  own  mighty  will, 
they  followed  the  sacred  Victim,  unjustly 
condemned  and  ignominiously  treated,  from 
the  prsetorium  to  Golgotha,  weeping  over 
Him  tears  hot  as  their  love.  To  drown 
the  cries  of  blasphemy,  they  loudly  pro 
claimed  His  praise.  They  encouraged  Him 
to  continue  His  heroic  sacrifice,  helping  Him 
to  walk,  and  supporting  Him  on  the  cross  in 
His  last  agony.  It  was  by  such  means  that 
they  eagerly  lightened  the  supreme  sorrow 
which  the  public  abandonment  of  His 
Father  inflicted  on  the  faithful  Heart  of 
Jesus.  It  was  to  show  their  indignation 
that  the  angels  who  govern  the  world 
veiled  the  sun,  shook  the  earth,  and  rent  the 
rocks :  "  Videntes  clamabunt  et  angeli  pads 
amare  flebunt! " 

Can  it  be  supposed  that  the  cherubim  and 
seraphim,  intrusted  with  the  guardianship 
of  the  tabernacles  and  consecrated  to  the 
service  of  the  Eucharistic  Christ,  would  not 
weep  over  the  neglected  solitude  in  which 
He  is  left  by  those  for  whose  salvation 


346     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

He  remains  there?  Will  not  their  tears 
flow  over  the  lack  of  zeal  and  fidelity,  over 
the  coldness  and  irreverence  of  even  His 
friends?  Will  they  not  mourn  over  the 
outrages  and  profanation  of  which  He  is 
the  victim,  since  He  has  embraced  that  state 
of  feebleness  and  silence  in  order  more  sure 
ly  to  attach  hearts  to  Him  by  the  bonds  of 
pity? — " Ecce  videntes  angeli  pads  amare 
ftebunt!" 

The  holy  angels  call  us  to  make  repara 
tion  in  union  with  them.  It  is  from  this 
union  of  reparation  that  the  Divine  Heart, 
oppressed  by  man's  deception,  weighed 
down  by  bitterness  and  humiliations,  looks 
for  satisfaction  and  consolation.  "  The  Di 
vine  Heart,"  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"  seems  to  desire  that  we  should  have  special 
union  with  the  devotion  of  the  holy  angels, 
who  are  particularly  destined  to  love,  hon 
or,  and  praise  It  in  the  divine  Sacrament  of 
Love.  The  reason  of  this  is  that,  being 
united  and  associated  with  tjiem,  they  may 
supply  for  us  before  His  Divine  Presence, 
as  well  to  render  Him  our  homage  as  to 
love  Him  for  us  and  for  all  those  who  love 
Him  not,  and  to  repair  the  irreverences  that 
we  commit. 


Twenty-second  Day. 


347 


While  compassionating  the  Heart  satu 
rated  with  opprobrium  and  broken  by  our 
crimes,  the  holy  angels  earnestly  endeavor 
to  cure  us  of  the  evils  with  which  sin  weighs 
down  its  miserable  victims.    The  most  effi 
cacious  remedy  that  they  employ  is  to  in 
spire  a  great  devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart, 
received  and  eaten  under  the   veil  of  the 
Sacrament.    As  the  Archangel  Raphael,  the 
admirable  physician  sent  from  heaven,  or 
dered  the  young  Tobias  to  take  the  heart 
of  the  fish  that  he  had  caught,  promising 
him  that  it  would  be  for  him  a  necessary 
and  very  opportune  remedy :  "  Cor  ejus  re- 
pone  tibi:  sunt  enim  haec  necessaria  ad  medi 
cament  a  utiliter — Lay  up  his  heart  .   .   .  for 
these     are     necessary     for     useful     medi 
cines  "(1).    When,   in   effect,    Tobias  had 
burned  a  part  of  the  fish's  liver  in  the  house 
of  his  fiancee,  he   put  to  flight  the  demon  that 
had  infested  it  and,  by  anointing  the  eyes  of 
his  aged  father,  restored  to  him  his  sight. 
And  thus  the  Heart  of  the  Divine  Fish,  the 
Sacred  Ichthus,  brought  by  Communion  in 
contact  with  our  heart,  chases  from  it  the  de 
mon,  and  dissipates  the  blindness  of  pride 

(1)    Tob.  vi,  5. 


348     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

and  the  illusions  of  the  passions  which  drag 
down  to  sin.  It  is  the  remedy  of  immortali 
ty,  absolutely  necessary  to  preserve  from 
death.  It  is  the  leaven  of  resurrection  which 
raises  from  every  fall.  It  is  the  antidote 
of  sin,  possessed  of  all  virtues,  whether  to 
preserve  or  to  deliver.  Raphael  and  the 
holy  angels  that  have  charge  of  our  souls 
urge  us  to  use  it  assiduously :  "  Cor  ejus  re- 
pone  tibi!" 

PETITION. 

By  nature  and  by  vocation,  the  holy  an 
gels  are  the  ministers  of  prayer,  the  Chris 
tian's  powerful  intercessors  before  God. 

Holy  Scripture  shows  them  to  us  stand 
ing  or  prostrate,  golden  censer  in  hand, 
sending  up  to  Him  the  sweet-scented  fumes 
of  their  uninterrupted  prayer.  Jacob  saw 
them  untiringly  ascending  and  descending 
the  mysterious  ladder  which  rested  on  the 
earth  and  reached  to  heaven,  carrying  up 
to  God  the  prayers  of  men  and  bringing 
back  to  them  His  gifts.  And  the  Divine 
Master,  specifying  this  ministry  of  the  an 
gelic  spirits,  said:  "Amen,  amen,  I  say 
to  you,  you  shall  see  the  heavens  opened, 
and  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  de- 


Twenty-second  Day.  349 

scending  upon  the  Son  of  Man"  (1).  They 
are  indefatigable  messengers  between  His 
Heart  and  those  that  He  has  resolved  to 
save. 

Lastly,  the  Church  in  the  liturgy  of  the 
Holy  Mass,  speaks  of  an  angel  who  assists 
the  priest  and,  after  the  Consecration  of  the 
Sacred  Mysteries,  she  says :  "  We  most 
humbly  beseech  Thee,  Almighty  God,  com 
mand  these  things  to  be  carried  by  the  hands 
of  Thy  angel  to  Thy  altar  on  high  in  the 
sight  of  Thy  Divine  Majesty — Jube  haec 
perferri  per  manus  sancti  angeli  tui  in  sub 
lime  altare  tuum  in  conspectu  divinae  Ma- 
jestatis  tuae"  Is  it  the  angel  guardian  of 
the  officiating  priest  that  is  named  here? 
Is  it  the  angelic  custodian  of  the  temple 
and  the  altar?  Is  it  an  angel  specially  de 
puted  by  God  for  the  service  of  the  Holy 
Sacrifices?  Or  perhaps  it  is  St.  Michael, 
whom  the  Church  invokes  by  name  in  the 
offertory  of  the  Mass  for  the  dead.  The 
angels  constantly  exercise  their  mediation 
between  the  Eucharistic  Christ  and  those 
whom  He  nourishes  with  His  Flesh  after 
having  sanctified  them  with  the  oblation 

(1)  John  i,  51. 


350     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

of  His  Blood.  "Since  the  day  that  this 
altar  was  consecrated,  I  have  obeyed  the 
order  to  remain  always  near  it,"  said  an 
angel  to  a  holy  priest  who  saw  him  standing 
near  the  altar  during  the  celebration  of  the 
Holy  Mysteries:  "  Ex  quo  sanctificatum 
est  altare  istud,  ego  jugiter  illi  adstare  jus- 
sus  sum." 

Who  can  express  the  perfection  and  ef 
ficacy  of  angelic  prayer?  The  inebriating 
perfume  that  it  exhales  before  God  is  com 
posed  of  the  odors  of  stainless  purity,  ar 
dent  love,  most  profound  devotion,  unwav 
ering  fidelity,  and  unbounded  loyalty  to  the 
divine  will.  The  angels  are  the  friends  of 
God  and,  after  Mary  and  Joseph,  the  beings 
most  dear  to  the  Heart  of  Jesus.  What  can 
It  refuse  them?  They  love  us.  They  are 
entirely  devoted  to  us.  Having  the  care 
of  our  interests  and  responsible  for  our  sal 
vation,  they  know  our  real  needs,  they  are 
aware  of  the  designs  of  God  over  us.  They 
are  powerful,  they  are  prudent,  they  are 
faithful.  Their  prayer  is  ardent  and  con 
tinuous.  Nothing  distracts  it,  nothing  dis 
courages  it,  not  even  our  obstinacy  in  not 
profiting  by  it.  What  may  we  not  expect 
from  their  intercession? 


Twenty-second  Day.  351 

It  is  our  duty  to  secure  their  concur 
rence  when  we  pray,  uniting  our  prayer  to 
theirs,  offering  its  perfection  and  merits  to 
supply  for  the  defects  of  our  own.  Like 
the  Psalmist,  let  us  say :  "  In  conspectu  an- 
gelorum  psallam  tibi — I  will  sing  praise 
to  thee  in  the  sight  of  the  angels  "(I)-  St. 
Ephrem  says :  "  Be  like  an  angel  during  the 
time  of  prayer.  Try  to  make  it  so  pure,  so 
holy,  so  faultless  that,  when  the  angels  and 
the  archangels  see  it  coming  from  your 
heart,  they  may  joyfully  hasten  to  receive  it 
and  present  it  to  God,  embellished  with  their 
own  immaculate  purity.  During  your  hour 
of  prayer  remain  united  to  God  like  the 
cherubim  and  seraphim." 

Let  us,  then,  constantly  and  confidently 
make  use  of  the  ministry  of  the  angels  with 
the  Sacred  Heart.  They  desire  to  promote 
our  joy,  and  they  have  no  greater  longing 
themselves  than  that  we  should  know  and 
love  that  blessed  Heart.  "  One  day,"  says 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  "  I  saw  the  amiable 
Heart  of  Jesus  on  a  throne  of  flames,  Its 
Wound  shedding  around  rays  so  ardent  and 
so  luminous  that  the  whole  vicinity  was 

(1)   Ps.  cxxxvii,  1. 


352     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

heated  and  lighted  up.  The  daughters  of 
the  Visitation  appeared  in  this  place,  each 
holding  a  heart  in  her  hand.  They  ap 
proached  to  present  to  the  Divine  Heart 
those  that  they  held.  Some,  when  they 
touched  the  Sacred  Wound,  became  beau 
tiful,  lovely,  and  shining  like  stars;  others 
turned  black  and  horrible.  There  were  sev 
eral  whose  names  remained  inscribed  in 
golden  characters  in  the  Sacred  Heart,  into 
which  they  glided  and  abyssed  themselves 
on  all  sides  with  avidity  and  pleasure,  ex 
claiming  :  '  It  is  in  this  abyss  of  love  that 
we  find  our  dwelling  and  our  rest  forever ! ' 
They  were  the  hearts  of  those  that  have 
labored  most  to  make  that  of  our  Divine 
Master  known  and  loved." 

Beg  the  angels  of  the  tabernacle  to  in 
crease  your  love  for  the  Eucharist. 

May  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  be  loved 
everywhere ! 

(100  days'  indulgence.) 


THE   SACRED    HEART    AND   PURGATORY. 

SUBJECT.— Central  star  of  the  super 
natural  world,  the  Sacred  Heart  is  the  light 
and  life  of  all  devotions.  If  we  wish  more 
clearly  to  comprehend  the  doctrinal  truth  of 
each  one  of  them  and  cause  their  sanctify 
ing  virtues  to  gush  forth  more  abundantly, 
we  must  expose  them  to  the  radiance  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  namely,  to  the  love  of  Our 
Lord.  This  is  what  we  shall  now  proceed 
to  do  with  regard  to  devotion  to  the  souls 
in  purgatory. 

In  revealing  His  Heart,  the  adorable 
Head  of  the  Church  Suffering  desired  to  re 
new  the  devotion  of  the  Faithful  to  the  dear 
captives  of  fire  and  ardent  longing.  He  con 
secrated  to  their  service  the  confidante  (1)  of 
His  most  secret  desires.  He  showed  in  His 
Heart  the  inexhaustible  treasure  of  help 
necessary  for  their  relief  and  deliverance.  It 
is  remarkable  that  the  first  time  the  Sacred 


(1)     Blessed  Margaret  Mary. 

353 


354     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Heart  was  honored  by  the  novices  of  Paray, 
kneeling  around  their  holy  mistress  before 
a  little  pen-and-ink  picture  of  the  Adorable 
Heart,  after  "  an  act  of  reparation  and  of 
consecration,  canticles,  and  prayers,  fol 
lowed  by  a  prolonged  adoration  in  silence  to 
render  homage  to  the  Sacred  Heart,  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary  animated  those  first  dis 
ciples  of  hers  to  devote  the  rest  of  the  day 
to  prayer  for  the  souls  in  purgatory."  In 
spired  by  this  example,  let  us  reanimate  our 
charity  toward  the  souls  suffering  in  the 
flame  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

ADORATION. 

While  professing  the  doctrine  of  purga 
tory  with  the  Catholic  Church,  let  us  adore 
under  the  feeble  covering  of  the  Sacrament 
the  Creator  of  purgatory  and  the  Head  of 
the  Church  Suffering.  It  is  from  the  meet 
ing  in  the  Sacred  Heart  "  of  mercy  and 
truth,"  and  from  the  kiss  there  exchanged 
between  "  justice  and  peace  "  that  this  in 
stitution,  terrible  yet  full  of  condescending 
love,  was  born.  Purgatory  punishes  by  tor 
tures  unknown  to  earth  the  slightest  re 
mains  of  stains  or  debts  of  sin,  and  while 
punishing,  purifies  and  delivers  the  soul 


Twenty-third  Day.  355 

from  those  stains.  By  a  merciful  reprieve, 
it  permits  the  soul  to  finish  the  preparation 
required  before  taking  its  place  in  the  eter 
nal  festival  of  the  Lamb  without  stain. 

Sanctity  and  Justice  enkindle  the  fire  that 
sensibly  devours  and  the  desire  that  spiritu 
ally  consumes.  The  soul  is  plunged  there 
in  as  long  as  there  remains  a  stain  of  sin  to 
efface,  a  farthing  of  debt  to  pay.  Oh,  how 
terrible  are  the  sanctity  and  justice  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  and  what  awful  light  the  fire 
of  purgatory  projects  upon  them!  Per 
haps,  we  limit  our  view  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
to  seeing  in  It  only  Its  character  of  good 
ness,  the  pity  and  tenderness  of  Its  love, 
because  we  have  so  much  need  of  them. 
But  what  would  be  that  love  if  it  were  not 
so  holy  as  to  be  unable  to  unite  itself  to  any 
alloy,  so  just  as  not  to  seek  at  any  cost  to 
satisfy  the  rights  of  God? 

Purgatory  makes  these  perfections  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  shine  forth  in  all  their  splen 
dor.  It  shows  It  to  us  as  holy,  as  just  as 
It  is  loving.  But  it  is  very  true  that  there, 
as  everywhere  else,  love  rules  and  that 
"  Its  mercies  are  above  all  Its  works." 

The  Sacred  Heart  constantly  operates 
therein  the  work  of  Redemption,  effecting 


356     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

by  the  merits  of  Its  Passion  and  death,  re 
newed  upon  the  Eucharistic  altar,  the  puri 
fication  from  their  faults  and  the  liberation 
from  their  debts  of  the  dear  captives.  The 
sweet  Shepherd  of  the  Sacrament  watches 
over  this  low  region  of  His  empire.  He 
sheds  light  upon  the  darkness  that  envelops 
it,  He  pours  waves  of  refreshment  upon  the 
fires  that  devour  it,  He  penetrates  it  with  an 
atmosphere  of  peace  and  of  silent  resigna 
tion.  He  keeps  alive  therein  love  and  hope : 
a  love  that  no  sin  can  kill,  a  hope  assured 
of  its  recompense.  He  lives  there,  and  the 
dear  souls,  tortured  beyond  all  expression, 
live  there,  notwithstanding,  of  His  life  and 
for  His  glory.  Let  us  adore  Him  with  them : 
"  Re  gem  cui  omnia  vivunt,  venite  adoremus! 
— Come,  let  us  adore  the  King  from  whom 
all  things  live!"(l) 

The  Divine  Master  revealed  the  ties  that 
bind  purgatory  to  the  Eucharist  by  permit 
ting  Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  the  confidante 
of  His  Heart,  to  receive  when  in  His  Pres 
ence,  either  on  the  night  of  Holy  Thursday 
or  on  the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi,  a  revela 
tion  concerning  the  sufferings  of  those 


(1)     Invit.  Off.  Defunctorum. 


Twenty-third  Day.  357 

souls.  "  One  Holy  Thursday  night,  when 
praying  before  the  Blessed  Sacrament  for 
a  certain  soul,  Our  Lord  showed  it  to  her 
under  the  foot  of  the  chalice  in  which  He 
reposed,  and  where  this  dear  soul  was 
finishing  its  purgatory.  It  was  then  that 
the  Heart  of  all  pity  asked  her  to  abandon 
herself  to  It  without  reserve  that  It  might 
give  her  to  those  dear  suffering  souls  to  do 
for  them  all  the  good  that  she  could." 

THANKSGIVING. 

However  terrifying  the  sight  of  the 
exactions  of  that  Sanctity  which  purifies 
souls  in  material  fire  and  in  the  fire  of  un 
quenchable  desires,  it  is  not  less  true  that 
the  thought  which  presided  over  the  crea 
tion  of  purgatory  is  one  of  supreme  mercy. 
Our  thanksgiving  in  time  and  in  eternity 
will  not  suffice  to  praise  it  as  it  merits. 

The  normal  time  of  trial  is  the  measure 
of  life  granted  to  each  one  on  this  earth. 
The  divine  munificence  has  filled  it  with 
precious  gifts,  the  providence  of  the  Re 
deemer  has  supplied  it  with  powerful  in 
stitutions,  and  He  shares  it  in  person  with 
us,  leading  us,  feeding  us,  and  raising  us 
constantly  from  our  faults.  It  seems,  in- 


358     The  Eucharistlc  Heart  of  Jesus. 

deed,  however  little  our  fidelity,  that  eternal 
recompense  awaits  us.  In  every  case  Jus 
tice  and  Mercy  would  appear  well  justified 
to  judge  definitely  on  that  last  evening  of 
life,  "  on  which  ends  the  day,  after  which 
we  can  no  longer  labor."  And  this  judg 
ment  would  be  heaven  for  those  that 
have  here  below  washed  their  robe 
from  every  stain  in  the  Blood  of  the 
Lamb,  and  hell  for  those  others  whom  a 
stain,  however  slight,  renders  unworthy. 
If  it  had  pleased  the  Lord,  the  Sovereign 
Master  of  His  gifts,  that  it  should  be  so,  it 
would  have  been  well  done,  and  no  one 
would  have  a  right  to  demand  of  Him  a 
reason. 

But  His  mercy,  which  has  guarded  every 
moment  of  our  life,  wishes  to  survive  that 
life  and  make  itself  felt  even  in  the  tomb, 
vivifying  the  dead,  and  making  the  dust 
germinate.  So,  it  gives  to  all  souls  who  do 
not  die  radically  separated  from  Jesus  Christ 
by  mortal  sin,  a  place  to  rest  the  foot  in 
order  not  to  fall  into  the  abyss  at  the  in 
stant  of  perilous  passage,  an  assured  means 
of  washing  away  the  last  remains  of  im 
perfection,  a  legal  sum  to  discharge  the 
whole  temporal  debt  of  their  sins,  a  re- 


Twenty-third  Day.  359 

prieve  in  which  to  finish  their  preparation 
for  heaven.  And  this  is  purgatory!  Who 
ever  falls  into  it  is  sure  of  going  to  heaven. 

And  truly,  were  the  fire  still  more  fierce 
and  the  privation  of  the  sight  of  God  still 
more  painful;  were  the  period  of  this 
double  punishment  to  last  for  ages,  is  it 
not  clear  that  such  a  reprieve,  to  which  we 
have  no  right,  and  a  resumption  of  life  so 
unheard-of,  are  an  admirable  and  miraculous 
superaddition  of  God's  mercy,  the  master 
piece  of  pity  devised  by  the  Heart  of  Our 
Saviour?  For  if  every  soul  receives  all  and 
even  more  than  is  necessary  to  merit  im 
mediate  entrance  into  heaven ;  if  that  is  the 
only  end  at  which  the  Saviour  is  aiming  by 
His  gifts  and  assistance,  how  many,  in 
reality,  render  themselves  worthy  of  it? 
One  chosen  one,  alas !  only  one  chosen  one ! 
"  Multi  vocati  pauci  vero  electi — Many  are 
called,  but  few  chosen."  The  mass  of 
Christians  are  saved,  thanks  only  to  the 
merciful  reprieve  of  purgatory :  "  Ipse 
salmis  erit,  sic  to/men  quasi  per  ignen — He 
shall  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire  "(1). 

Those  flames  from  which  we  cannot  es- 


(1)     I  Cor.  iii,  15. 


360     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

cape  are  absolutely  necessary  to  produce 
the  worthy  fruits  of  penance  demanded  by 
our  sins.  This  cruel  privation  of  the  pos 
session  of  the  Infinite  Beauty,  whom  we 
have  met  and  whom  we  should  possess  as 
soon  as  we  quit  this  earth,  makes  us  long 
for  God,  thus  giving  to  love  the  satisfaction 
which  we  refused  during  life,  and  which 
alone  merits  the  possession  of  God  in 
heaven.  Now,  nothing  appears  too  much 
to  those  dear  souls.  They  see  clearly  now, 
and  not  content  with  accepting  their  pains, 
they  bless  them  as  the  precious  instruments 
of  the  least  deserved  and  the  most  effica 
cious  of  mercies. 

With  them  let  us  bless  the  Sacred  Heart. 
Not  satisfied  with  having  gratuitously  ac 
corded  them  the  grace  of  dying  in  Its  love, 
which  grace,  in  a  certain  way,  no  one  can 
merit,  It  received  them  after  their  death  that 
they  might  not  fall  into  the  eternal  abyss: 
"  In  Christo  quiescentibus" 

Jesus  shelters  them  in  the  asylum  of  His 
Heart,  living  and  full  of  hope,  although 
hiding  from  them  His  glorious  countenance 
and  allowing  them  to  be  overwhelmned  by 
incomprehensible  sufferings.  But  He  helps 
them  by  so  many  graces,  by  pure  and  gener- 


Twenty-third  Day.  361 

ous  love,  by  such  strength,  humility,  and 
resignation,  that  they  taste  the  certainty  of 
reposing  in  His  Heart. 

Jesus  loves  them  as  the  members  of  His 
Body,  as  flesh  of  His  Flesh.  He  loves  them 
as  His  children  by  whom  He  is  loved  in  re 
turn  with  sovereign  love  indissolubly  fixed 
on  Himself.  For  although  their  love  for 
Him  is  not  without  imperfection  and 
deficiency,  it  is  substantially  the  living  and 
immortal  love  which  unites  them  to  Jesus 
and  permits  Him  to  live  and  abide  in  them. 

And  these  dear  souls  see  the  love  of  Jesus 
for  them.  They  are  certain  of  it.  They 
understand  that  new  hope  sprang  up  in 
their  breast  when  the  Sacred  Heart,  in 
manifesting  Itself  on  earth,  revealed  to 
them,  also,  the  treasures  of  love  hidden  up 
to  that  time,  and  with  which  It  deigned  to 
fill  the  Church  in  these  latter  days.  They 
know  that,  if  the  tide  overflows  on  earth, 
its  salutary  inundation  must  extend  to  the 
low  regions  in  which  they  dwell.  We  read 
in  the  writings  of  Blessed  Margaret  Mary: 
"If  you  knew  with  what  eagerness  these 
poor  souls  implore  this  new  remedy,  so  ex 
cellent  for  their  sufferings!  For  it  is  thus 
they  call  the  devotion  to  the  Divine  Heart." 


362     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

REPARATION. 

Few  considerations  are  so  efficacious  as 
that  of  purgatory  for  giving  a  clear  under 
standing  of  the  malice  of  sin,  the  injury  it 
does  to  God,  the  wound  that  it  inflicts  on 
the  Heart  of  Jesus,  the  prejudice  that  it 
brings  to  the  soul.  It  arouses,  in  conse 
quence,  hatred  for  that  sovereign  evil,  and 
impels  to  works  of  penance.  Considering 
the  Saviour's  love  for  the  souls  in  purga 
tory  and  their  love  for  Him,  how  compre 
hend  the  horror,  the  depth,  the  duration  of 
their  torments  simply  to  expiate  small  stains, 
the  remains  of  sin,  the  temporal  debts  due 
to  sin,  except  by  admitting  that  the  least 
fault  is  the  greatest  of  evils,  and  that  to 
preserve  its  stain  is  the  greatest  of  mis 
fortunes?  We  have  only  to  open  the  book 
of  the  Revelations  of  the  Sacred  Heart  to 
see  with  what  severity  that  Heart  of  good 
ness  and  pity  punishes  after  this  life  the 
voluntary  faults  of  Its  friends,  and  their  neg 
lect  to  purify  themselves  from  them  when 
on  this  earth,  where  It  was  holding  open 
to  them  the  sources  of  salutary  expiation: 
"  In  die  erit  fons  patens  habitantibus  Jerusa 
lem  in  ablutionem  peccatoris — In  that  day 


Twenty-third  Day.  363 

there  shall  be  a  fountain  open  to  the  in 
habitants  of  Jerusalem  for  the  washing  of 
the  sinner  "(1). 

The  following  revelation,  touching  their 
physical  pains,  shows  that  they  differ  little 
from  those  of  hell  itself: 

"  Once,"  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"  I  saw  in  a  dream  one  of  our  Sisters  who 
had  been  dead  for  some  time.  She  told  me 
that  she  was  suffering  much  in  purgatory. 
I  awoke  at  these  words,  and  so  full  of  pain 
that  it  seemed  to  me  that  she  had  impressed 
her  own  upon  me.  My  whole  body  was  so 
bruised  that  it  was  painful  to  me  to  move. 
She  gave  me  no  peace,  but  constantly  re 
peated  to  me :  '  Pray  to  God  for  me.  Offer 
Him  your  sufferings  in  union  with  those  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  relieve  mine ! ' 

"  Approaching  my  bed,  she  said  to  me : 
'  You  are  taking  your  ease  in  bed.  Look 
where  I  am  lying  on  a  bed  of  flames,  on 
which  I  am  suffering  intolerable  evils.' — 
And  showing  me  that  horrible  bed,  which 
makes  me  tremble  whenever  I  think  of  it, 
with  its  sharp  fiery  spikes  which  pierced  the 
flesh,  she  told  me  that  it  was  for  her  in- 


(1)     Zach.  xiii,  1. 


364     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

fidelities  to  God  and  her  negligence  in  the 
observance  of  her  Rules. 

'  They  tear  my  heart  with  red-hot  iron 
combs, — and  that  is  my  most  cruel  suffer 
ing, — for  the  thoughts  of  murmuring  and 
disapprobation  that  I  entertained  against 
my  superioress.  My  tongue  is  eaten  by 
vermin  in  punishment  of  my  words  against 
charity,  and  my  whole  mouth  is  ulcerated 
for  my  little  attention  to  silence/ 

' '  Oh,  that  all  souls  consecrated  to  God 
could  see  me  in  this  torment!  If  I  could 
make  them  feel  the  greatness  of  my  pains 
and  those  that  are  prepared  for  religious 
who  live  carelessly  in  their  vocation,  doubt 
less,  they  would  walk  with  renewed  ardor 
in  the  way  of  exact  observance.  They 
would  take  good  care  not  to  fall  into  the 
defects  that  make  me  suffer  so  much ! ' — 
On  another  occasion,  when  they  wanted  to 
give  me  some  remedies,  that  soul  said  to 
me :  '  They  are  thoughtful  to  relieve  you 
in  your  misery,  but  no  one  thinks  of  allevi 
ating  mine ! ' 

"Another  time,  as  I  was  before  the 
Blessed  Sacrament  on  the  days  of  Its  feast, 
a  soul  all  on  fire  suddenly  presented  itself 
before  me.  The  heat  that  came  from  it  so 


Twenty-third  Day.  365 

penetrated  me  that  I,  too,  seemed  to  be 
burning.  The  pitiable  state  of  the  soul  gave 
me  to  understand  that  it  was  in  purgatory, 
and  forced  from  me  an  abundance  of  tears. 
It  told  me  that  it  was  the  soul  of  a  Benedic 
tine  monk,  who  had  once  heard  my  con 
fession  and  ordered  me  to  receive  Holy 
Communion.  In  consideration  of  this,  God 
had  permitted  him  to  address  himself  to 
me  to  obtain  relief  in  his  suffering.  He 
asked  me  for  all  that  I  could  do  and  suffer 
during  three  months,  and  he  gave  me  three 
reasons  for  his  great  sufferings.  The  first 
was,  because  he  had  preferred  his  own  in 
terest  to  the  glory  of  God,  by  too  great  at 
tachment  to  his  reputation;  the  second  was 
his  want  of  charity  toward  his  brethren; 
and  the  third,  the  too  natural  affection  he 
had  had  for  creatures,  and  the  too  great 
testimony  he  had  given  of  it  in  his  spiritual 
conversations  with  them,  which  displeased 
God  much.  It  would  be  difficult  to  express 
what  I  had  to  suffer  during  those  three 
months.  That  soul  never  quitted  me  and, 
on  the  side  where  he  was,  it  seemed  to  me 
to  see  him  all  on  fire,  and  with  pains  so 
acute  that  I  was  forced  to  groan  and  weep 
almost  continually." 

25  • 


366     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

The  Blessed  Sister  again  wrote :  "  I 
beg  some  special  help  for  our  poor  Sister 

N ,  for  whom  I  have  been  offering 

since  the  new  year  all  that  I  could  do  and 
suffer.  She  gave  me  no  repose  until  I  had 
made  her  the  promise  to  do  penance  for 
her.  She  told  me  that  she  was  suffering 
much,  especially  for  three  things :  the  first 
was  for  her  too  great  delicacy  and  bodily  in 
dulgence  ;  the  second  was  for  tale-bearing 
and  failures  in  charity;  and  the  third  for. 
certain  petty  points  of  ambition." 

Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  the  dear  con 
fidante,  entering  into  the  desires  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  offered  herself  as  a  victim  to 
Divine  Justice  in  behalf  of  the  poor  souls, 
and  the  Sacred  Heart  immolated  her  without 
pity  to  Its  requirements.  She  said  of  this : 
"  It  seems  to  me  that  everything  serves 
as  an  instrument  for  Divine  Justice  to  tor 
ment  me.  Nothing  makes  me  suffer  more 
than  this  sanctity  of  justice.  It  is  a  tor 
ment  which  seeks  as  a  remedy  only  crosses, 
humiliations,  sorrows,  pains  of  all  kinds, 
under  which  I  would  succumb  a  thousand 
times,  if  His  goodness  did  not  sustain  me 
in  an  extraordinary  manner."' 


Twenty-third  Day.  367 

PETITION. 

The  solicitous  love  which  fills  the  Heart 
of  the  Divine  Shepherd  for  the  suffering 
portion  of  His  flock,  and  the  eminent  dig 
nity  to  which  He  raises  the  least  of  the  chil 
dren  of  men  by  calling  them  to  co-operate 
by  an  active  ministry  in  the  work  of  Re 
demption,  give  us  to  understand  that  noth 
ing  enters  more  fully  into  His  desires  than 
to  offer  one's  self  to  plead  for  and  to  satisfy 
for  the  souls  in  purgatory.  The  increase  of 
love  for  God,  which  is  the  necessary  fruit 
of  devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart  well  under 
stood,  ought  to  be  accompanied  by  an  in 
crease  of  charity  for  the  dear  neighbor  so 
needy  and  so  deserving  of  pity.  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary  says :  "  I  abandoned  my 
self  to  the  direction  and  the  conduct  of  the 
Sacred  Heart,  which  has  deigned  to  do  me 
this  charity.  And  It  often  gives  Its  poor 
victim  to  the  souls  in  purgatory  to  help 
them  and  to  satisfy  Divine  Justice.  At 
such  times  I  endure  a  pain  almost  like  their 
own,  finding  rest  neither  day  nor  night." 

The  Sacred  Heart  made  known  to  her 
two  efficacious  means  for  the  relief  of  the 
dear  souls:  prayer,  and  acts  done  in  union 
with  Its  own. 


368     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

First,  prayer  of  every  form,  but  above  all 
sacramental  prayer,  namely,  the  Holy  Mass, 
the  full  application  of  the  death  and  merits 
of  Jesus.  The  Saviour  said :  "  These  poor 
souls  especially  implore  Masses  in  honor  of 
the  Sacred  Heart."  Secondly,  Holy  Com 
munion,  which  renders  the  soul  so  pleasing 
to  Jesus  and  so  powerful  over  His  Heart. 
"  A  deceased  religious  bids  me  apply  to 
you,  my  dear  Mother,  for  a  general  Com 
munion,"  wrote  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  to 
a  certain  superioress.  Thirdly,  adoration 
of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  for  it  was  when 
the  Blessed  Sister  prolonged  her  prayer  at 
the  foot  of  the  tabernacle  that  the  suffering 
souls  surrounded  her,  imploring  her  in 
tercession. 

The  virtues  indicated  by  the  Sacred 
Heart  or  by  the  souls  in  purgatory  them 
selves  as  the  most  efficacious  are  purity, 
charity,  mortification,  and  humility.  These 
virtues  Blessed  Margaret  Mary  begged  her 
Sisters  to  practise  in  union  with  the  Sacred 
Heart,  and  in  the  Sacred  Heart  Itself  with 
the  soul  turned  toward  the  Blessed  Sacra 
ment.  "  The  first  thing  in  the  morning, 
place  yourself  in  the  Sacred  Heart,  conse 
crating  yourself  entirely  to  It  with  all  that 


Twenty-third  Day.  369 

you  shall  think  and  say.  Offer  to  Jesus  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  all  the  Holy  Masses 
that  shall  be  celebrated  throughout  the  Holy 
Church,  which  you  will  beg  your  good  angel 
to  hear  and  offer  to  God  to  appease  His 
justice. 

"  In  the  evening,  make  a  little  turn 
through  purgatory  in  company  with  the 
Sacred  Heart,  consecrating  to  It  all  that 
you  shall  have  done,  begging  It  to  apply  its 
merits  to  those  holy  suffering  souls.  At 
the  same  time,  implore  them  to  make  use  of 
their  power  to  obtain  for  you  the  grace  to 
live  and  die  in  love  and  fidelity  to  the  Sacred 
Heart  by  unresistingly  corresponding  to  Its 
desires  in  your  regard." 

To  encourage  devoton  and  stimulate  zeal, 
she  used  to  say,  smilingly :  "  Let  us  think 
of  our  good  friends  and  ask  Our  Lord's 
mercy  for  them.  They  will  not  forget  us !  " 

The  following  prayer  to  the  Sacred 
Heart,  indulgenced  by  Leo  XIII,  of  blessed 
memory,  proves  how  good  it  is  to  invoke 
that  dear  Heart  for  the  souls  in  purgatory : 

"  0  dimnum  Cor  Jesu,  praesta,  quaeso, 
animabus  purgantibus  requiem  aeternam, 
hodie  morituris  gratiam  finalem,  peccatori- 
bus  veram  poenitentiam,  paganis  fidei  lucem, 


370     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

mihi  meisque  omnibus  tuam  benedictionem. 
Tibi  ergo,  Cor  Jesu  piissimum,  omnes  has 
animas  commendo  ct  pro  ipsis  tibi  offero 
omnia  tua  merit  a,  una  cum  mentis  Beatis- 
simae  Matris  tuae,  omniumque  sanctorum 
et  angelorum;  atque  omnibus  missarum 
sacrinciis,  sacris  communionibus,  orationi- 
bu$  et  bonis  operibus,  quae  hodie  in  toto 
chrstianorum  orbe  peraguntur. — O  Divine 
Heart  of  Jesus,  grant,  I  conjure  Thee,  eter 
nal  rest  to  the  souls  in  purgatory !  To  those 
that  will  die  today,  grant  the  final  grace ;  to 
sinners,  true  contrition ;  to  pagans,  the  light 
of  faith ;  to  me  and  mine,  Thy  blessing !  To 
Thee,  O  most  merciful  Heart  of  Jesus,  I 
commend  all  these  souls,  and  for  them  I 
offer  to  Thee  Thy  own  sacred  merits  along 
with  those  of  Thy  Blessed  Mother,  of  all 
the  angels  and  saints,  together  with  all  the 
Masses,  Holy  Communions,  prayers,  and 
good  works  which  shall  be  performed  to 
day  throughout  the  whole  Christian  world !  " 

By  a  Brief  of  March  13,  1901,  Leo  XIII 
accorded  to  all  who  recite  this  prayer  one 
hundred  days'  Indulgence,  once  a  day,  ap 
plicable  to  the  souls  in  purgatory. 


Twenty-third  Day.  371 

Beg  Our  Lord  to  increase  your  devotion 
toward  the  Holy  Souls  in  purgatory. 

Let  us  adore,  thank,  supplicate,  and  con 
sole  with  Mary  Immaculate  the  most  sacred 
and  beloved  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 
(200  days'  Indulgence.} 


Cwent^tourtb 

"  BEHOLD  THIS   HEART/' 

^  THE  heart  of  Jesus  is  the  origin  of  the 
Eucharist,  because  His  love  alone,  attain 
ing  supreme  power,  inspired  the  Saviour  on 
the  last  night  of  His  earthly  life  to  make  to 
His  own,  whom  He  could  not  resolve  to 
leave,  this  gift  of  Himself.  For  this  reason, 
the  Sacred  Heart  may  be  called  the  Eucha- 
ristic  Heart,  that  is,  the  Heart  which 
gives  us  the  Eucharist.  But  still  more:  if 
we  consider  It  as  present,  living  and  acting, 
loving  us,  immolating  Itself  for  us  in 
sacrifice,  giving  Itself  to  us  in  Communion, 
in  the  Christ  veiled  by  the  sacramental 
signs,  it  is,  then,  the  Sacred  Heart  which 
by  incessantly  renewing,  perpetuates  the 
love  and  the  gift  of  the  Eucharist. 

It  is  under  this  aspect  that  we  shall  ren 
der  to  It  our  homage  in  the  present  adora 
tion.  The  Heart  of  the  Eucharistic  Christ 
in  Its  truth  and  Its  life  is  the  object  of  our 
adoration.  In  Its  love  and  Its  benefits,  It 
is  the  object  of  our  thanksgiving-.  In  the 
372 


Twenty-fourth  Day.  373 

offences  inflicted  upon  It  by  the  ingratitude 
of  men,  It  is  the  object  of  our  reparation.  In 
the  power  of  Its  untiring  intercession,  It  is 
the  object  of  our  petitions. 

We  shall  reflect  on  the  grand  revelation 
of  the  Sacred  Heart:  "  Behold  this  Heart 
that  has  so  loved  men! — In  return  I  re 
ceive,  for  the  most  part,  only  ingratitude — 
Do  thou,  at  least,  try  to  console  Me  by 
making  Me  some  return !  " 

ADORATION. 

"  Behold  this  Heart  that  has  so  loved 
men !  "  said  the  Saviour,  showing  His  Heart 
to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary.  The  Blessed 
Sister  tells  us :  "  One  day,  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  being  exposed,  Jesus  Christ,  my 
sweet  Saviour,  appeared  before  me  sparkling 
with  glory,  His  five  wounds  brilliant  as  five 
suns.  From  His  Sacred  Humanity  shot 
forth  flames  on  all  sides,  but  more  than  all 
from  His  adorable  breast,  which  looked  like 
a  furnace.  Opening  it,  He  disclosed  to  me 
His  loving  and  lovable  Heart,  the  living 
source  of  those  flames." 

In  this  way  does  the  Sacred  Heart  pre 
sent  Itself  to  the  adoration  of  His  creatures : 
in  the  breast  of  Christ  really  present  under 

26 


374     The  Eucharisiic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  Sacramental  veils.  It  is  the  furnace  of 
the  glorified  life  lived  by  the  Sacred  Hu 
manity  in  the  Sacrament,  and  of  the  life  of 
grace  that  It  pours  into  souls  by  the  Eucha 
rist.  All  this  is  clearly  signified  by  the 
flames  issuing  from  the  Sacred  Heart,  which 
transform  the  breast  of  Christ  into  a  glow 
ing  furnace,  and  which  shine  like  suns  in 
the  wounds  of  His  hands  and  feet. 

It  is,  indeed,  true  that,  in  virtue  of  the 
sacramental  state,  to  which  It  is  reduced 
by  Consecration,  the  Sacred  Heart,  as  is  the 
whole  Body  of  Christ,  is,  as  it  were,  anni 
hilated,  without  extent,  without  form,  with 
out  physical  communication  with  the  out 
ward  world.  But,  again,  like  the  Eucha- 
ristic  Body,  It  retains  the  integrity  of  Its 
substance  and  intrinsic  life.  And  because  in 
man  the  heart  is  the  symbol,  as  well  as  the 
principal  organ,  of  life,  the  Divine  Master 
by  showing  His  Heart,  proclaims  that  He 
is  living  in  the  Eucharst;  and  that  His 
mode  of  material  existence  does  not  pre 
vent  His  being  a  human  composite,  result 
ing  from  a  soul  and  a  body  personally 
united  to  the  Word,  who  deifies  them,  and 
re-unites  them  by  immortal  resurrection 
never  again  to  be  separated  by  death. 


Twenty -fourth  Day.  375 

No  manifestation  could  better  reply  to 
Protestant  heresy,  which  pretends  that  the 
Eucharist  is  only  the  symbol  of  Christ's 
Body,  but  not  the  Body  itself.  By  showing 
His  Heart  in  His  breast,  by  showing  It 
glowing  like  a  brazier,  Christ  declares  the 
integral  reality  of  His  Body  and  the  truth 
of  His  corporal  life,  for  a  living  heart 
means  a  living  body.  He  proclaims  the 
truth  of  His  mortal  life,  for  the  human 
heart  can  beat  only  under  the  impulse  of  a 
human  soul.  He  manifests  the  truth  of  His 
divine  life,  for  never  would  the  Body  and 
Soul  of  Christ  have  existed  if  not  borne  by 
the  Word.  Whoever  sees  the  living  Heart 
of  the  Christ,  sees  the  sanctuary  in  which  re 
sides  the  Word  Incarnate,  deifying  the 
Sacred  Humanity  of  Jesus  and  causing  It 
to  live  personally  of  the  life  of  God  Himself. 

But  as  life  necessarily  manifests  itself  by 
action,  the  Heart  of  Christ  revealed  in  the 
Sacrament,  reminds  us  that,  under  the  ap 
pearance  of  death,  the  Eucharistic  Christ 
operates,  acts,  spreads  abroad  the  radiance 
of  life.  His  is  the  life  of  a  creature  the 
most  submissive  to  the  Creator,  the  life  of 
a  servant  the  most  devoted  to  his  master,  the 
life  of  a  son  the  most  loving  toward  his 


376     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

father,  the  life  of  a  priest  the  most  faithful, 
of  a  religious  the  most  holy  in  view  of  the 
majesty  and  sanctity  of  the  Most  High. 
His  is  a  life  of  all  the  virtues  in  their  most 
intense  perfection.  They  arrest  and  fix 
upon  themselves  the  complacency  of  God, 
they  form  the  infinite  delight  of  God. 

The  Sacred  Heart  is,  at  the  same  time, 
the  furnace  whence  spreads  the  life  of  grace 
throughout  the  whole  Church  and  in  each 
individual  soul,  for  it  is  from  the  plenitude 
of  Jesus  that  we  receive  everything,  and 
grace  for  grace — DC  plenitudine  ejus  omnes 
accepimus,  et  gratiam  pro  gratia  (I).  For 
the  Church  it  means  unity  in  hierarchy  and 
fraternity,  universal  expansion,  uninter 
rupted  duration  which  no  obstacle  can 
break,  together  with  sanctity  of  doctrine, 
Sacraments  and  morals.  For  souls,  it 
means  all  the  grace  of  the  most  diverse 
states,  of  all  virtues,  of  all  duties,  all  prog 
ress  in  good,  all  the  holy  deaths  that 
open  the  way  to  the  perfect  life  of  God  in 
heaven.  All  these  beautiful  forms  of  grace, 
these  beams  so  luminous,  these  beneficent 
and  triumphant  forces  of  life,  flow  forth 


(1)     John  i,  16. 


Twenty -fourth  Day.  377 

abundantly  in  copious,  inexhaustible 
streams  from  the  Eucharistic  Heart  of 
Jesus.  They  are  all  only  manifestations  of 
the  eternal  life,  of  which  the  Eucharist  is 
the  Bread. 

"Behold  this  Heart!" 

Behold  the  Heart  par  excellence,  the 
unique  Heart,  the  Heart  of  Jesus  and  our 
Heart,  also,  which  the  living  Sacrament  of 
Jesus  offers  to  us  that  we  may  acknowledge, 
adore,  and  exalt  It  with  piety,  attention,  and 
fidelity :  "  Omni  custodia  serva  Cor  tuum; 
quia  ex  ipso  vita  procedit — With  all  watch 
fulness  keep  thy  Heart,  because  life  issueth 
out  from  It"(l). 

THANKSGIVING. 

"  Behold  this  Heart  which  has  so  loved 
men  that  It  has  spared  nothing,  even  to  ex 
hausting  and  consuming  Itself,  in  order  to 
testify  to  them  Its  love !  " 

The  Heart  of  the  Saviour  in  the  Sacra 
ment  is  the  object  of  our  thanksgiving  as 
well  as  of  our  adoration ;  for  if  the  heart  is 
the  furnace  of  life,  it  is,  also,  the  source  of 
love  and  of  all  the  benefits  that  manifest  it. 


(1)   Prov.   iv,   23. 


378     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

And  as  "  from  the  heart  of  a  good  man 
cometh  forth  good  things,  new  and  old: 
Bonus  homo  de  bono  thesauro  profert  bona, 
nova,  et  vetera"(l),  so  is  the  Heart  of 
Christ  in  the  Sacrament  the  ever  open 
source  whence  flow  forth  the  goods  new  and 
old,  brought  to  the  world  by  the  Redeemer. 

The  memorial  of  ancient  benefits,  His 
Heart  repeats  to  us  that  God  so  loved  the 
world  as  to  give  to  it  His  only  Son  in  the 
Incarnation.  It  tells  us  that  this  Son,  al 
though  we  were  His  enemies,  after  having 
lavished  upon  us  all  the  treasures  of  His 
prayers  and  virtues,  His  teaching  and  benef 
icent  power,  His  pity  and  mercy,  loved 
us  so  far  as  to  deliver  Himself  to  death.  It 
tells  us,  again,  that  having  loved  us  to  that 
extreme,  He  willed  to  love  us  to  the  end, 
by  giving  Himself  to  us  in  the  Eucharist 
before  returning  to  His  Father. 

These  ancient  loves  His  Heart  incessantly 
renews  for  us  in  the  Sacrament,  since  the 
Sacrifice  that  Jesus  daily  offers,  is  the  per 
fect  reproduction  of  His  death  as  Re 
deemer.  Communion  gives  to  every  soul 
the  Flesh  and  Blood,  the  life,  the  strength, 

(1)   Matt,   xii,   35. 


Twenty-fourth  Day.  379 

and  consolation  that  He  imparted  to  His 
Apostles  at  the  Last  Supper.  The  abiding 
Presence  in  the  tabernacle  is  the  prolonga 
tion  of  His  beneficent  and  protecting  Pres 
ence  among  men  when  dwelling  corporally 
in  their  midst. 

Lastly,  His  Heart  in  revealing  itself  sur 
rounded  by  flames  in  the  Sacrament,  tells  us 
that  He  there  loves  us  with  an  actual  and 
personal  love,  which  no  ingratitude  can  ex 
tinguish.  It  declares  that  It  longs  to  com 
municate  Itself,  to  give  Itself  to  every  soul. 
Every  Host  is  a  burning  brand  meant  to 
enkindle  a  fire  of  gratitude,  fidelity,  and 
generosity  in  the  hearts  of  all  men. 
3  The  Sacred  Heart  is  the  Eucharistic 
Christ's  reply  to  Jansenism,  which  aims  at 
restraining  man  by  fear  and  crushing  in  him 
every  spark  of  love  and  confidence,  by  rep 
resenting  so  exclusively  the  holiness  and 
majesty  of  the  Saviour  as  to  render  Him 
inaccessible  to  human  weakness  and  misery. 
"  My  Divine  Heart  is  so  passionately 
enamored  of  men  that,  no  longer  able  to 
restrain  the  flame  of  Its  burning  charity,  It 
must  needs  allow  them  to  spread  abroad.  It 
must  manifest  them  in  order  to  enrich  men 
with  these  precious  treasures."  And  the 


380     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Son  of  God,  who  had  need  of  nothing  nor  of 
any  one,  deigned  to  utter  this  ineffable  de 
sire  :  "  I  ardently  thirst  to  be  loved  by  men 
in  the  Sacrament  of  My  love !  " 

REPARATION. 

"  Behold  this  Heart  that  has  so  loved 
men !  In  return,  I  receive  for  the  most 
part  only  ingratitude  and  forgetfulness. 
That  grieves  Me  more  than  all  I  suffered  in 
My  Passion.  If  they  would  make  Me  some 
return  of  love,  I  should  esteem  as  little  all 
I  have  done  for  them,  and  I  should  wish, 
were  it  possible,  to  do  more.  But  by  cold 
ness  and  rebuffs  they  meet  My  eagerness  to 
do  them  good!  Do  thou,  at  least,  console 
Me  by  supplying  for  their  ingratitude  as 
much  as  thou  canst." 

The  Divine  Saviour  proposes  His  Heart 
in  the  Sacrament  as  the  object  of  our 
reparation,  because,  in  reality,  it  is  that 
Heart  that  is  struck  by  all  the  sins  of  man 
kind.  It  is  the  direct  object  of  all  sins  form 
ally  committed  against  the  Eucha 
rist,  such  as  irreverence,  sacrilegious 
Masses  and  Communions,  profanation,  the 
violation  of  the  day  consecrated  to  the 
Eucharistic  Sacrifice,  and  the  contempt  of 


Twenty-fourth  Day.  381 

the  Paschal  precept.  It  is  the  object  of  the 
ingratitude  shown  Its  ardent  and  eager  love 
in  the  Eucharist  by  the  tepidity,  the  cold 
ness  and  indifference,  the  disrelish  and 
abandonment  with  which  we  too  frequently 
respond  to  Its  advances. 

But  every  mortal  sin  being  a  sin  of  in 
gratitude  toward  God,  which  extinguishes 
in  the  soul  the  love  that  the  creature  owes 
his  Creator,  every  mortal  sin  is  a  sin 
against  the  Heart  burning  with  love  in  the 
Eucharist.  Mortal  sin  is  so  much  the  more 
dreadful  as  this  Sacrament  is  the  sign,  the 
memorial,  the  most  eloquent  proclamation  of 
all  the  love  that  Christ  had  and  still  has  for 
mankind.  To  repel  Its  love  is,  then,  to 
repel  the  Heart  of  the  Eucharistic  Christ. 
To  extinguish  love  in  the  soul  of  a  Christian, 
a  member  of  Jesus,  would  be  to  crush  life 
out  of  the  Heart  of  the  Saviour  Himself,  if 
such  a  thing  could  be  done.  But  most  cer 
tainly,  it  was  of  those  blows  that  He  died 
upon  the  Cross.  Every  sin  attacks  the  life 
of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

Again,  all  the  less  grave  sins,  venial  sin, 
the  habit  of  venial  sin,  affection  to  venial 
sin,  and  tepidity,  which  results  from  it  with 
out  actually  killing  love,  weaken  its  life. 


382     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

They  enfeeble  its  action,  tarnish  its  bril 
liancy,  dull  its  sentiment,  render  it,  in  fine, 
so  heavy  and  languishing,  so  disagreeable 
and  repulsive,  that  the  Sacred  Heart  cannot 
support  such  a  soul,  but  threatens  to  cast  it 
forth. 

It  is,  indeed,  to  the  Sacred  Heart,  the 
Sacramental  Victim  of  the  sins  of  mankind, 
that  reparation  ought  to  be  directed  as  to  its 
first  and  immediate  object.  The  Saviour 
Himself  calls  for  it  in  behalf  of  "  sinners, 
to  obtain  mercy  for  them ;  and  for  tepid 
souls  who  continue  to  inflict  upon  Him  the 
bitterness  that  He  experienced  from  the 
sleep  of  the  Apostles  during  His  agony. 
The  reparation  of  the  devout  can  alleviate 
that  bitterness." 

Which  are  the  chief  means  of  reparation  ? 
Holy  Communion,  most  fervent  and  fre 
quent;  the  Holy  Hour,  or  that  of  adoration, 
in  which  we  keep  Him  company;  the  wor 
ship  of  His  Sacred  Heart  and  the  spread 
of  Its  reign ;  but,  above  all,  love,  love  grate 
ful  for  Its  benefits,  compassionate  for  Its 
humiliations,  penitent  and  filled  with  those 
generous  expiations  that  It  sighs  for :  "  Do 
thou,  at  least,  try  to  console  Me  by  making 
Me  some  return !  " 


Twenty-fourth  Day.  383 

PETITION. 

"  My  Heart  shall  remain  there  forever— 
Et  erit  Cor  mcum  ibi  cunclis  diebus"  said 
the  Lord  when  He  accepted  as  a  house  of 
prayer  the  Temple  which  Solomon  had  built 
to  Him  (1).    He  gave  this  prophetic  image 
of  His  Heart  to  excite  confidence  in  all  who 
would  come  to  pray  there.    It  was  to  be,  in 
advance,  a  pledge  of  His  watchfulness  over 
their  needs,  and  of  His  loving  care  in  pro 
viding    for    them.      When    revealing    His 
Heart  truly  living  and  always  present  in  the 
Sacrament,  the  Saviour  said  to  Blessed  Mar 
garet   Mary:     ''Help   shall   fail   thee  only 
when  power  shall   fail   My  Heart."     This 
shows  us  how  anxiously  the  Sacred  Heart 
awaits  our  prayers  in  order  to  answer  them. 
The  Sacred  Heart  exists  for  our  prayers. 
It  is  the  sanctuary  in  which  they  find  God 
personally  present,  in  which  they  are  offered 
to  Him  and  heard  by  Him.     The  Sacred 
Heart  is  the  adorable  object  which  we  ought 
to   invoke   confidently,   because   It   is   love, 
goodness,    compassion,    riches,   providence, 
and  power. 

The  Sacred  Heart  is  the  assured  means 

(1)     II  Par.  vii,  16. 


384     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

of  rendering  our  prayers  efficacious,  if  we 
offer  them  through  It,  for  It  is  the  Heart 
of  the  Holy  Priest,  always  heard  by  the 
Father.  That  Heart  perfects  and  sanctifies 
our  prayers.  It  is  the  Heart  of  the  inno 
cent  Victim,  who  delivered  Himself  to  pur 
chase  in  advance  all  the  favors  that  we  beg 
of  God  in  His  name. 

We  must,  then,  enter  into  the  Sacred 
Heart  and  remain  there  to  pray  to  the 
Father,  to  pray  to  Itself,  and  to  pray 
through  It. 

"  I  have  found  My  Heart  that  I  may 
pray  to  my  God,"  said  the  devout  St. 
Bernard:  " Inveni  Cor  meum,  ut  orem 
Deum  meum,  that  is,  the  Heart  of  my  King, 
of  my  Father  and  my  Friend  Jesus !  I  shall 
enter  into  this  Sanctuary,  in  which  Thou 
dost  always  answer  prayer,  O  my  God,  and 
I  shall  confidently  pour  forth  my  petitions." 

Blessed  Margaret  Mary  said :  "  When 
you  wish  to  pray,  enter  into  this  Sacred 
Heart  as  into  an  oratory,  in  which  you  will 
find  wherewith  to  pay  God  what  you  owe 
Him,  by  offering  Our  Lord's  prayer  to  sup 
ply  for  the  defects  of  your  own,  by  •  lov 
ing  God  with  the  love  of  His  Divine  Heart, 
adoring  with  His  adoration,  praising  with 
His  praise,  working  with  His  works,  and 


Twenty-fourth  Day.  385 

willing  with  His  will."  Behold  the  infalli 
ble  'means  of  being  favorably  heard  and  of 
always  accomplishing  the  divine  will. 

After  the  Sacred  Supper  during  which 
He  had  forever  enclosed  His  Heart  in  the 
Eucharistic  sanctuary,  behind  the  sacred 
veil  of  bread,  Our  Lord  said :  "  Abide  in 
me.  Abide  in  my  love,"  which  words  mean : 
"  Abide  in  My  Heart.  If  ye  abide  therein, 
all  that  ye  ask  shall  be  given  you.  My 
Father  is  glorified  in  granting  you  all  that 
ye  ask  in  My  name." 

Let  us,  then,  in  all  our  needs,  in  every 
affliction,  however  desperate,  in  every  neces 
sity  of  Church  or  State,  let  us  go  with  con 
fidence  and  perseverence  to  the  Heart  of 
the  Eucharistic  Christ  hidden  in  the  depths 
of  the  Sacrament.  Almighty  God  will  be 
glorified  by  all  the  favors,  all  the  pardon, 
all  the  victories  that  He  shall  be  pleased  to 
grant  us  :  "  Accedet  homo  ad  Cor  altwn,  et 
exaltabifur  Deus!  Man  shall  come  to  a 
deep  Heart,  and  God  shall  be  exalted  "  (1). 

Perform  an  act  of  charity  in  honor  of  the 
Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus,  have  pity  on 
us! 

(300  days'  Indulgence.) 
(1)     Ps.   Ixiii,   7,   8. 


THE   HOLY  EUCHARIST  AND  THE  SACRED 
HEART. 

ADORATION. 

OUR  object  in  the  following  pages  is,  to 
win  for  the  Holy  Eucharist  greater  love, 
by  showing  the  adorable  Heart  of  Jesus 
present  in  It,  living  in  It,  rendering  It  so 
loving  and  so  lovable,  so  powerful  and  so 
patient,  so  worthy  of  the  complacency  of 
Heaven  and  the  desires  of  earth. 

The  Holy  Eucharist  and  the  Sacred  Heart 
are  not,  indeed,  one  and  the  same,  as  is 
sometimes  said,  and  the  devotion  to  the  Sa 
cred  Heart,  closely  considered,  is  found  to 
be  distinct  from  the  devotion  to  the  Blessed 
Sacrament. 

The  material  object  of  the  former  is  the 
Heart  of  Jesus,  His  Heart  of  flesh,  con 
sidered  in  the  triple  phase  of  Its  living  ex 
istence,  namely,  in  Its  mortal  life,  in  Its 
Eucharistic  life,  in  Its  glorious  life  in 
heaven.  Its  formal,  or  moral,  object  is  all 
the  love  for  us  that  Jesus  has  drawn  from 
386 


Twenty-fifth  Day. 

His  Heart  in  being  born,  in  living,  in  in 
stituting  the  Eucharist,  in  dying  on  the 
Cross,  and  in  ascending  to  heaven  to  prepare 
for  us  our  everlasting  abode.  The  material 
object  of  the  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Sac 
rament  is  the  Sacred  Humanity  and,  con 
sequently,  the  whole  Adorable  Person  of 
Jesus  residing  in  the  Eucharist;  and  its 
motive  is  the  love  that  He  therein  testifies 
to  us,  and  the  remembrance  of  His  Passion, 
which  He  recalls  to  us  incessantly  by  its 
daily  renewal  therein. 

These  two  devotions  are,  consequently, 
distinct  in  their  object.  But  they  have, 
nevertheless,  points  of  resemblance  so  mir 
merous,  they  so  closely  support  and  embrace 
each  other  that,  in  practice,  if  we  desire  to 
attain  the  perfection  of  each,  we  must  unite 
them  into  a  single  one. 

Souls  devout  to  the  Sacred  Heart  will 
gain  much  by  always  seeking  the  divine  ob 
ject  of  their  love  in  the  Sacrament  which 
presents  It  to  them  present  and  living,  which 
places  It  under  their  eyes,  in  their  hands, 
and  in  their  breasts.  Souls  devout  to  the 
Holy  Eucharist  will  find  immense  profit  in 
penetrating  beyond  the  outward  appearance 
of  the  Sacred  Species,  in  plunging  into  the 


388     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

profound  secrets  of  the  Sacrament,  into  the 
Adorable  Body  Itself,  in  order  to  discover 
therein  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus,  which 
makes  the  Eucharist  a  living  Being,  loved 
and  loving,  and  leading  for  God  and  for  us 
a  life  full  to  overflowing. 

To  be  satisfied  with  honoring  the  Sacred 
Heart  in  Its  pictures,  and  not  to  know  how 
to  find  It  in  Its  Eucharistic  reality,  is  to 
understand  It  but  little,  to  neglect  the  prin 
cipal  objects  of  the  devotion  to  the  Sacred 
Heart,  namely,  Jesus'  Heart  of  flesh  ac 
tually  present  among  us,  and  the  greatest 
proof  of  His  love,  the  Holy  Eucharist.  And 
not  to  know  how  to  discover  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  under  the  lifeless  Species  of  the  Sac 
rament,  is  not  to  comprehend  the  Eucharist 
as  It  should  be  comprehended.  If  It  has 
no  Heart,  if  we  do  not  find  in  It  the  Heart 
of  Our  Saviour,  what  can  this  Sacrament 
be  for  us?  And  if  we  do  not  habitually 
meet  there  that  Heart,  how  shall  we  love 
It  sufficiently  to  honor  and  serve  It  as  It 
deserves?  Where  would  be  our  confidence 
to  tell  It  of  our  needs,  our  desires,  our 
troubles? 

Whether  we  have  an  attraction  to  the  Sa 
cred  Heart  or  to  the  Holy  Eucharist,  in 


Twenty-fifth  Day.  389 

order  to  receive  all  the  graces  that  these 
two  devotions  offer  us,  we  must  reach  the 
Heart  of  Jesus  living  in  the  Blessed  Sacra 
ment,  we  must  know  and  adore  It  therein, 
honor  It,  and  unite  ourselves  to  It  in  Holy 
Communion. 

May  the  points  of  doctrine  upon  which 
we  are  going  to  touch  relative  to  the  pres 
ence,  the  action,  and  effects  of  the  Heart 
of  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist,  lead  our  read 
ers  more  easily,  and  with  greater  fruit 
to  themselves,  to  that  Heart  of  our  God 
and  Saviour  become  so  really  ours  by  His 
Presence  in  the  Sacrament  of  the  Altar! 

It  is  a  dogma  of  faith  that  Jesus  is  liv 
ing  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  in  all  the 
integrity  of  His  Sacred  Humanity.  He 
is  there  with  His  Body,  His  Blood,  His 
Soul,  and  His  Divinity — Christus  totus! 
And  He  is  living,  for  St.  Paul  says : 
"  Christ  since  the  day  of  His  resurrection 
is  living,  and  He  shall  die  no  more." — On 
Easter  morn,  all  the  Blood  that  Jesus  had 
shed  during  His  Passion  in  Gethsemani, 
in  the  praetorium,  on  the  road  to  Calvary, 
on  the  Cross,  was  gathered  into  golden 
vases  by  the  angels  eager  for  that  minis 
try  of  life. 


390     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Thence  it  was  poured  into  the  Heart  of 
Jesus,  and  when  the  holy  Soul  entered  into 
Its  august  sanctuary,  the  reanimated  Heart 
of  Jesus  beat  with  joy.  It  sent  Its  vermil 
ion  waves  into  the  arteries,  It  tinged  the 
Saviour's  cheeks  discolored  by  death.  It 
recommenced  to  pulsate  in  Jesus'  breast 
with  a  pulsation  that  was  never  more  to 
cease.  It  animates  His  glorified  Body  in 
the  celestial  Jerusalem.  And  when  the 
priest  consecrates  the  Sacred  Host,  it  is 
Jesus  Christ  entire,  His  whole  Humanity 
that  the  almighty  words  enclose  under  the 
veil  of  the  Sacramental  Species.  The  Sav 
iour's  Body  possesses  therein  all  its  or 
gans,  all  its  members.  They  are  all  ani 
mated  by  the  Blood  which  flows  from  the 
Heart,  and  which  laves  them  with  its  vivi 
fying  currents.  It  is  true  that  Jesus  re 
duces  that  corporal  life  to  a  point,  that  He 
withdraws  it  from  our  gaze,  that  it  escapes 
our  most  earnest  researches.  It  is  true  that 
that  life  is  not  in  communication  with  any 
exterior  agents,  and  that  for  its  existence  it 
has  need  neither  of  air  to  breathe,  nor 
space,  nor  nourishment.  This  is  the  pro 
found  mystery  of  the  Eucharist,  that  Christ 
should  be  therein  entire,  but  in  the  manner 


Twenty-fifth  Day.  391 

of  substances  altogether  like  unto  that  of 
pure  spirits.  We  ought  to  adore  Him 
in  humble  and  submissive  faith.  But  the 
darkness  in  which  Jesus  shrouds  His  Hu 
manity  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  ought  not 
to  make  us  forget  that  He  is  really  there 
in  all  His  truth,  in  all  His  integrity,  with 
all  His  members,  all  His  organs,  all  the 
fulness  of  His  life,  glorified  and  immutable. 
The  seat  of  that  life,  the  source  of  the 
Blood  that  feeds  it,  the  bond  of  the  Saviour's 
members,  in  which  shine  the  marks  of  the 
Five  Wounds,  the  centre  of  that  Eucharis- 
tic  Humanity,  is  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  His 
Heart  of  flesh,  formed  of  the  most  pure 
blood  of  Mary.  Living,  beating,  that  Heart 
is  in  each  of  the  consecrated  Hosts  on  our 
altars,  and  in  every  particle  that  may  be 
detached  from  them.  The  Host  is  not  the 
Heart  alone  of  Jesus,  but  without  that 
Heart  there  would  be  no  Host. 

THANKSGIVING. 

The  Host  is  Jesus  in  the  integrity  of 
His  Humanity.  This  Humanity  rests  upon 
His  Heart  from  which  flows  all  life,  says 
Holy  Scripture,  and  which  is  the  first  or 
gan  to  live  in  us  and  the  last  to  die,  accord- 


392     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

ing  to  the  dictum  of  scientists.  Let  us  then 
study  It,  study  It  well.  The  Sacred  Host 
is  the  Adorable  Person  of  Jesus.  It  is 
His  Divinity,  His  Soul,  His  Body,  His 
true  Body,  perfect  and  entire.  Prostrate 
before  the  Host,  we  may  in  spirit  kiss  the 
adorable  hands  and  feet  of  Jesus.  We  have 
a  right  to  aspire  even  to  the  "  kiss  of  His 
mouth."  We  may  gaze  in  spirit  upon  His 
divine  countenance.  His  eyes  are  fixed 
upon  us,  His  ears  are  attentive  to  our  sup 
plications.  How,  then,  could  we  neglect 
His  Heart,  His  sweet  Heart,  in  which  took 
birth  the  divine  plan  of  the  Eucharist, 
which  led  the  Saviour  to  institute  It,  to  per 
petuate  for  us  the  Real  Presence,  which 
daily  offers  us  the  Bread  of  our  Commun 
ion,  and  which,  up  to  this  moment,  is  in 
flamed  for  us  with  a  love  infinite,  tender, 
patient,  though,  perhaps,  saddened  and  af 
flicted  because  of  our  failure  to  compre 
hend  His  love,  His  Presence,  His  truth? 

The  Heart  of  Jesus  in  the  Host  is  both 
human  and  divine,  finite  and  infinite,  created 
and  uncreated;  that  is  to  say,  in  Its  nature 
and  Its  origin,  It  is  the  Heart  of  a  man, 
formed  of  flesh,  but  in  Its  term,  It  is  united 
personally  to  the  Word  of  God.  It  has  be- 


Twenty-fifth  Day.  393 

come,    and   It    remains   the    Heart   of   the 
Word,  at  one  and  the  same  time  the  Heart  of 
the  Son  of  God  and  the  Heart  of  the  Son  of 
Mary.     The    Second   Person   of   the   Most 
Holy  Trinity   has    united    Himself    to    It 
hypostatically,  that  is  to  say,  He  has  made 
It  His  member,  His  organ  forever.     He  has 
thereby  elevated  that  simple,  created,  ma 
terial  organ  above  all  spiritual  and  angelic 
substances.     It   is,   without   any   exaggera 
tion,   the   Heart   of   God.     Its   dignity,   Its 
price  are  literally  infinite  as  a  result  of  that 
marvellous  union   with    the    Word.     That 
Heart,    in    consequence,    performs    the    in 
finite  operations  of  the  Word  Himself,  and 
It  deserves  the  homage  due  to  God  alone. 
By  that  Heart,  the  Word  loves  us  with  His 
eternal  love;  by  that  Heart,  He  knows  us 
with  His  infinite  knowledge ;  by  that  Heart, 
He   desires   us   all    good.     He    loves    His 
Father  with  that  Heart.     He  offers  to  Him 
His   infinite  worship   of   adoration,   praise, 
prayer,    and   propitiation.     These    marvels, 
these  infinite  operations,  this  multiple  life 
is  constantly  going  on  in  each  of  the  Hosts 
in  our  tabernacles,  in  the  profound  silence, 
in  the  neglected  solitude  to  which,  alas !  we 
too  often  abandon  them. 


394     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

But  the  Heart  of  Jesus  claims  in  each  of 
our   sanctuaries,    under    the    covering    of 
bread,    a    divine   worship,   the   worship   of 
supreme    adoration    of    latria.     We    must 
recognize   It   as   the   Heart   of  Jesus   sub 
stantially  united  to  the   Divine   Nature   in 
the  Person  of  the  Word.     We  must  contem 
plate  It  clothed  with  the  majesty  of  God 
Himself,  holy  with  the  infinite  holiness  of 
God,  good  with  the  goodness  itself  of  God, 
the  organ  of  infinite  charity,  uncreated  life, 
love,  and  mercy.     We  must  adore  It  with 
the  adoration  due  to  God  Himself,  love  It 
with  the  absolute  love  that  God  alone  de 
serves,  and  attribute  to    It,  offer  to  It  all 
praise,  human  and  angelic,  and  even  that 
which  Christ  Himself  as  Man  gives  to  God. 
It  is  at  the  same  time  a  human  Heart, 
created,   formed   of  Mary's  blood.     It  has 
a  beginning,  a  growth,  and  It  is  now  in  a 
state  stable  and  unalterable.     As   such,   It 
has  a  past,  a  history,  namely,  Its  immortal 
life,   first,   in   the   Blessed   Sacrament,   and 
next,    in    the   splendor   of   the   saints.     Its 
past  life  is  composed  of  all  that  the  Word 
Incarnate  did  upon  earth.     It  was  the  Heart 
of  Jesus,  the  Heart  actually  present  in  the 
Host,  that  animated  the  life  of  Jesus  during 


Twenty-fifth  Day.  395 

the  nine  months  that  He  spent  in  His 
Mother's  womb.  It  was  that  same  Heart 
that  beat  in  His  breast  when  He  was  born 
at  Bethlehem,  which  suffered  with  cold, 
which  shed  tears  of  emotion.  It  was  that 
Heart  which  attached  Him  to  His  Mother, 
which  was  filled  with  gratitude  for  her  de 
voted  care,  and  which  became  the  Heart  of 
the  best,  the  most  tender  of  sons.  It  was 
in  that  Heart  that  flourished  the  virtues  of 
sweetness,  obedience,  and  humility,  which 
embalmed  the  life  of  Mary's  hidden  and  un 
interrupted  prayer.  It  was  from  that 
Heart  that  issued  all  the  words  of  the  pub 
lic  ministry  of  the  Saviour,  words  of  truth, 
of  mercy,  of  pardon,  and  sometimes  words 
of  menace  against  hypocrites  and  the  ob 
durate.  It  was  in  that  Heart  the  Pater 
noster  was.  composed.  It  was  that  Heart 
that  melted  at  sight  of  the  moral  and 
physical  miseries  of  the  people,  that  wept 
over  Lazarus  and  over  Jerusalem,  Its  un 
grateful  city,  that  was  moved  at  sight  of 
the  afflicted  widow  of  Nairn.  It  was  that 
Heart  that  suffered  the  bitter  desolation  of 
the  Agony  in  the  garden,  the  cruel  shame 
and  sorrow  of  the  abandonment  of  Its  fol 
lowers,  the  denial  of  Peter,  and  the  treason 


396     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

of  Judas.  It  was  that  Heart  that  was  sad 
dened  by  the  sorrows  of  Mary,  and  moved 
with  compassion  for  the  good  thief.  And, 
finally,  it  was  that  Heart  that  swelled  with 
Its  last  pulsation  when  the  Saviour  accom 
plished  the  grand  act  of  His  death.  The 
soldier  transpierced  It  with  a  lance,  and  the 
Sacraments  sprang  forth  from  It  under  the 
symbols  of  blood  which  nourishes  and 
water  which  regenerates. 

Such  is  the  history  of  that  Heart  and  Its 
glorious  past.  It  repudiates  no  thought,  no 
act  of  it,  for  all  in  it  was  love,  devotedness, 
salvation.  The  fruits  of  that  past,  It  ap 
plies  to  us  through  the  Sacrament.  We 
ought  to  take  cognizance  of  it,  and  recall  it 
often  to  the  Heart  of  Jesus  when  we  adore 
It  in  the  Holy  Eucharist.  It  will  help  us 
better  to  comprehend  the  present.  The 
mortal  life  of  Jesus  is  the  elucidation  of  Hib 
Eucharistic  life. 

REPARATION. 

The  Eucharistic  life  of  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  commenced  at  the  first  Consecration 
of  the  Last  Supper.  As  soon  as  He  held 
Himself  in  His  hands  under  the  species  of 
bread  changed  into  Himself,  the  Heart  of 


Twenty-fifth  Day.  397 

Jesus  began  a  new  existence.  He  took 
the  annihilated  state  of  the  Sacrament  to 
which  He  had  reduced  His  Sacred  Hu 
manity,  and  therein  is  the  principle  of  the 
Eucharistic,  or  Sacramental,  life  of  the 
Saviour  present  under  the  species  of  bread. 
This  life  He  there  continues  under  our  eyes, 
or  rather  unknown  to  us,  so  profound  is 
His  retreat,  although  we  know  very  dis 
tinctly  where  it  is  spent,  although  we  can 
point  out  His  dwelling  very  precisely,  as 
well  as  the  space  that  contains  it,  and  sev 
eral  of  the  laws  to  which  it  is  subjected. 

The  life  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus  in  the  Eu 
charist  is  that  of  a  perfect  victim  and,  con 
sequently,  of  absolute  immolation.  It  is 
outwardly  manifested  by  no  sign,  no  pulsa 
tion,  no  sound,  no  movement  of  the  organs, 
no  coloring  of  the  flesh,  no  vital  heat.  Noth 
ing!  It  lives,  It  beats,  It  palpitates,  It 
animates  the  most  perfect  of  lives,  but  at 
the  same  time  reduces  it  to  nothing,  buries 
it  in  inertia  and  exterior  death,  in  order  to 
transform  it  into  a  perfect  holocaust  of  ado 
ration  and  expiation. 

It  is  the  interior  life  that  belongs  to  the 
Priest  of  the  Most  High.  He  knows  all 
the  rights  of  God,  all  the  duties  of  humanity. 

27 


398     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

He  assumes  the  task  of  harmonizing  man's 
duties  with  God's  demands,  and  He  offers 
in  His  own  name  and  in  the  name  of  all 
men  a  Sacrifice  infinite  and  uninterrupted, 
in  value  worthy  of  the  Divine  Majesty,  the 
Sacrifice  of  adoration,  thanksgiving,  repa 
ration,  and  prayer.  The  Heart  adores  in 
the  name  of  all  men,  and,  giving  to  those 
that  adore  with  It  whatever  may  be  wanting 
to  render  their  adoration  worthy  of  God, 
It  adores  in  the  place  of  those  that  adore 
not.  It  is  the  complement,  the  supplement 
of  mankind  in  their  duty  toward  God.  Not 
a  benefit  descends  from  the  overflowing 
bosom  of  Divine  Goodness,  that  that  grate 
ful  Heart  does  not  see,  does  not  accept  as 
Its  own,  does  not  assume  its  debt,  and  dis 
charge  it  by  infinite  thanks  far  superior  to 
the  benefit  itself.  Not  a  sin  is  committed 
that  that  Heart  is  not  instantly  moved,  does 
not  offer  Its  own  love  and  purity,  Its  own 
Blood  in  reparation,  to  appease  Divine  Jus 
tice,  and  to  obtain  pardon  for  the  guilty. 
Attentive  to  all  the  needs  of  humanity,  even 
before  the  beggar  has  asked  his  daily  bread, 
before  the  afflicted  has  presented  his  tears 
to  the  God  of  all  consolation,  the  Heart  of 
Jesus,  that  ever-watchful  Sentinel,  has  ut- 


Twenty-fifth  Day.  399 

tered  the  cry  of  distress.  It  had  prayed,  and 
obtained  food  for  both  body  and  soul.  Not 
a  grace  comes  from  the  celestial  treasury 
except  by  It.  No  prayer  rises  to  the  throne 
of  God  until  it  is  first  laid  in  the  Eucharistic 
Heart  of  Jesus,  thence  to  mount,  borne  upon 
the  v/ings  of  the  prayer  of  Jesus  Himself,  to 
the  bosom  of  Infinite  Goodness. 

The  Heart  of  the  Eucharistic  Christ  is, 
then,  the  Heart  of  the  Priest,  the  Advocate, 
the  Mediator  with  God.  Toward  us  It  ex 
ercises  all  the  offices  of  love.  It  is  the  heart 
of  a  mother,  a  father,  a  shepherd,  for  It 
nourishes  us,  protects  us,  guides  us.  It  has 
all  the  tenderness,  all  the  patience  of  mater 
nal  love;  It  has  all  the  energy  of  paternal 
love;  and  it  is  as  a  devoted  shepherd  that 
Jesus  watches  from  the  tent  of  the  taber 
nacle  over  the  lambs  and  the  sheep,  defend 
ing  them  from  the  wolves  of  the  world  and 
of  hell,  reviving  them  upon  His  bosom, 
calling  them  to  follow  Him,  and  leading 
them  to  green  pastures  and  clear  waters. 

The  Heart  of  the  Eucharistic  Christ  is 
the  Heart  of  a  Brother,  a  Friend,  a  Spouse. 
It  is  the  Heart  of  a  Brother,  for  He  has 
the  same  Father  in  heaven,  the  same  Mother 
on  earth  as  we,  God  the  Father  and  Mary. 


400     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

It  is  the  Heart  of  a  Brother,  for  He  is  of 
the  same  origin,  of  the  same  flesh,  of  the 
same  blood  as  we.  It  is  the  Heart  of  a 
Friend,  for  He  became  our  equal,  He  dis 
covers  to  us  all  His  secrets,  He  shares  with 
us  all  His  riches.  He  rejoices  in  our  joys, 
He  grieves  over  our  sorrows.  He  in 
vites  us  to  pour  out  our  innermost 
thoughts  to  Him,  and  He  appears  to 
value  highly  the  respectful  familiari 
ty  of  the  closest  friendship.  As  soon 
as  He  had  instituted  the  Eucharist  and  had 
given  Himself  in  the  Sacrament,  His  Heart 
exclaimed  with  transport :  "  I  shall  hence 
forth  call  you  My  friends,  for  all  that  I 
have  received,  I  have  given  to  you !  "  It  is 
the  Heart  of  a  Spouse  who  puts  all  His 
goods  in  common,  who  gives  His  name,  His 
wealth,  His  life,  His  love,  and  that  forever, 
to  all  souls  who,  baptized  in  His  Blood, 
wish  to  be  united  to  Him  in  the  sacred 
espousals  of  Communion. 

There  is  something  more.  Not  satisfied 
with  living  in  the  tabernacle  for  His 
Father  and  for  us,  the  Heart  of  Jesus  is 
hungering  to  communicate  Himself,  to  give 
Himself  to  those  that  He  loves.  And  He 
loves  all,  the  just  whose  way  is  without 


Twenty-fifth  Day.  401 

stain,  and  poor  sinners  escaping  from  the 
mire  of  sin  and  about  to  enter  into  the 
paths  of  justice.  Communion  is  the  su 
preme  miracle,  the  ripe  fruit  of  the  Eucha- 
ristic  Heart.  It  would  not  be  sufficient  for 
Him  to  think  of  us,  to  watch  over  us,  to 
offer  Himself  for  us,  if  He  did  not  really 
give  Himself  to  each  one.  And  this  prodigy 
the  Eucharistic  Heart  alone  realizes.  Com 
munion  is  the  gift  of  the  Heart  of  Jesus, 
the  incontestable  proof  of  His  personal  love. 

"  O  Lord,  what  is  man  that  Thou  shouldst 
treat  him  so  magnificently,  shouldst  deign  to 
unite  Thy  Heart  with  his  poor  heart?" 

Would  we  contemplate  the  marvellous  ef 
fects  of  this  communication  of  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  in  the  Eucharist?— Behold  John  upon 
that  Heart  at  the  Last  Supper.  "  Happy 
Apostle,"  exclaims  the  Church,  "  whom  we 
cannot  praise  too  much,  envy  too  much !  " 
In  that  contact,  his  soul  drank  in  long 
draughts  of  light  and  truth.  He  divined 
the  mystery  of  the  Word  in  the  Father's 
bosom,  he  read  the  destinies  of  the  Church, 
he  listened  to  the  sublime  inspiration  of  his 
Gospel;  and  as  no  one  knows  the  Father 
except  by  the  Son,  because  the  Son  lives 
in  His  bosom,  so  no  one  speaks  so  well  of 


402     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  Son  as  that  disciple  who  rested  on  His 
Heart  at  Communion  in  the  Cenacle.  His 
Heart  was  there  filled  with  love  and  sweet 
ness.  He  there  learned  and  tasted  the  laws 
of  charity,  which  he  handed  down  even  in 
extreme  old  age  by  his  sweet  expression : 
"  Love  one  another." 

If  we  cannot  presume  to  such  favors, 
since  we  are  not  of  the  number  of  those  in 
whom  Jesus  finds  a  virginal  soul,  yet,  poor 
sinners  as  we  are,  the  Heart  of  Jesus  will 
not  repulse  us.  It  belongs  to  us,  also.  With 
the  prodigal,  let  us  arise,  let  us  go  to  It,  let 
us  confess  our  sins,  and  they  will  be  par 
doned.  But  the  rags  of  our  misery  still 
cover  us,  we  still  bear  the  visible  marks  of 
our  wandering.  Ah!  Jesus  will  not  reject 
us  on  that  account.  Like  the  father  of  the 
prodigal,  He  will  come  out  to  meet  us  at 
the  Communion  Table.  He  will  press  us  to 
His  Heart,  He  will  not  reproach  us,  for  He 
has  forgotten  all  our  past  misdeeds ;  and  by 
sweet  tears  that  His  loving  kindness  will 
cause  us  to  shed,  we  shall  find  our  lost  peace, 
we  shall  be  inundated  with  joy,  we  shall 
be  consoled  with  the  assurance  of  pardon. 
Oh,  how  good  is  the  Heart  of  Jesus!  It 
warms  the  cold  heart,  It  strengthens  it  in 


Twenty-fifth  Day.  403 

Holy  Communion,  and  it  looks  ^upon  the 
wanderer's  return  as  the  dearest  joy  of  Its 
life ! 

Just  or  sinner,  let  us  all  draw  near  to  the 
Sacrament  that  gives  us  the  Heart  of  Jesus 
for  our  resting-place,  in  which  we  may  be 
restored  to  health  of  soul,  and  taste  again 
the  joys  of  innocence  rewarded,  or  of  re 
pentance  pleasing  to  God. 

PETITION. 

Lastly,  the  Heart  of  Jesus  received  at 
the  moment  of  Communion,  becomes  truly 
our  own,  and  we  can,  we  ought  to  make  use 
of  It  in  order  to  love  God,  to  practise  virtue, 
to  embrace  sacrifice.  That  Heart  ought 
to  animate  our  whole  supernatural  life.  It 
is  the  realization  of  the  prophecy :  "  I  will 
take  away  your  heart  of  stone,  and  I  will 
give  you  a  heart  of  flesh,"  a  heart  tender 
and  loving.  Oh,  marvellous  change,  as 
true  as  wonderful !  It  is  a  gift,  an  irrevo 
cable  gift  that  Jesus  makes  us  of  His  own 
Heart  in  Holy  Communion.  As  long  as  the 
Eucharistic  Species  remain  in  our  breast, 
we  really  possess  Jesus'  Heart  of  flesh.  It 
loves,  prays,  adores,  and  wills  in  us.  It  is 
for  us  to  unite  our  tepid  and  cowardly,  our 


404     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

blind  and  egotistical  heart  to  the  Heart  of 
Jesus,  to  lose  it  in  His,  in  order  to  love  God, 
our  Father,  in  a  manner  worthy  of  Him.  As 
soon  as  the  Sacred  Species  are  consumed, 
Jesus'  Heart  of  flesh  disappears  with  the 
Sacrament,  but  Jesus  continues  to  remain 
in  us  spiritually,  in  order  to  make  us  live 
of  His  own  life.  We  remain  spiritually 
and  very  really  united  to  His  Heart,  which 
loves,  acts,  suffers,  and  merits  in  us.  Our 
life  led  on  by  His  light  and  receiving  His 
inspirations,  will  become  truly  supernatural. 
St.  Bernard  comprehended  the  gift  of 
Jesus'  Heart  in  Communion  when  he  penned 
these  words  of  loving  confidence :  "  Since 
we  have  had  the  happiness  to  approach  the 
most  sweet  Heart  of  Jesus,  and  since  it  is 
good  to  remain  in  It,  let  us  never  separate 
from  It.  How  sweet  it  is  to  dwell  in  that 
Heart!  Infinite  treasure,  precious  pearl,  is 
the  Heart  that  I  have  found  in  Thy  most 
sacred  Body,  O  Jesus!  Who  could  neglect 
such  a  treasure?  Far  from  doing  so,  I 
will  give  all  that  I  have,  my  thoughts,  af 
fections,  heart,  and  mind,  to  purchase  It, 
and  I  will  abandon  myself  to  Its  direction. 
That  Heart  is  a  temple,  a  sanctuary,  the 
Ark  of  the  Covenant,  and  there  it  is  that 


Twenty-fifth  Day.  405 

I  will  go  to  pray,  to  adore,  to  praise  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  saying  with  David: 
'  I  have  found  my  heart  in  order  to  pray 
to  my  God.'  Yes,  I  have  found,  I  have 
possessed  myself  of  the  Heart  of  my  King, 
of  my  Brother,  of  my  faithful  Friend,  the 
Heart  of  Jesus.  What  henceforth  can  pre 
vent  me  from  praying  with  confidence? 
My  own  heart  is  full  of  hesitancy,  not 
knowing  how  to  pray,  but  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  is  now  my  own:  Cor  enim  illius  me- 
um  est.  If  Christ  is  my  head,  if  I  am  His 
member,  is  not  all  that  is  His  mine,  also? 
It  is,  then,  with  Thy  Heart,  O  most  sweet 
Jesus,  that  Heart  which  is  Thine  and  mine 
at  one  and  the  same  time,  that  I  will  pray, 
for  Thou  art  my  God.  Suffer  my  prayers 
to  penetrate  into  that  Sanctuary  in  which 
Thou  wilt  always  hear  them  favorably. 
Still  more,  draw  me  entirely  into  Thy 
Heart  that  I  may  dwell  therein  all  the  days 
of  my  life !  " 

We  now  know  what  the  Heart  of  Jesus 
is  in  the  Eucharist.  It  is  His  Heart  as 
true  man  that  therein  animates  His  sacra 
mental  life.  It  is  a  Heart  at  once  human 
and  divine.  It  fulfils  therein  before  the 
Father  the  duties  of  a  perfect  priest  and  of 
28 


406     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

a  victim  ever  immolated;  and  with  regard 
to  us,  It  is  the  Heart  of  a  Mother,  of  a 
Brother,  a  Spouse,  and  a  Friend.  Not  sat 
isfied  with  living  for  us  in  the  tabernacle, 
He  attracts  us  to  Himself  and  gives  Him 
self  to  us  in  Holy  Communion.  This  gift 
is  without  repentance.  It  is  made  to  us 
that  we  may  live  and  act  supernaturally  in 
Him  and  by  Him.  And  now,  what  re 
mains  to  be  said,  except  to  indicate  in  a 
few  words  the  duties  imposed  upon  us  by 
the  presence  and  the  gift  of  the  Heart  of 
Our  Saviour  in  the  Eucharist. 

First,  we  must  know  It,  recognize  It  ex 
plicitly  in  the  Sacrament,  penetrate  to  It 
in  thought,  and  go  to  adore  It  in  the  taber 
nacles  in  which  It  is  loving  us  and  waiting 
for  us.  Let  us  give  It  our  time,  much  of 
our  time.  We  cannot  better  employ  it.  We 
must  adore  It  and  praise  It  in  all  Its  great 
ness,  human  and  divine.  We  must  thank 
It  for  all  the  proofs  of  love  that  It  has 
testified  to  us  by  the  gift  of  the  Eucharist, 
which  It  perpetuates  upon  all  our  altars 
at  the  cost  of  so  great  sacrifices,  and  with 
so  much  profit  to  us. 

Secondly,  we  must  have  for  It  love  full 
of  heart,  true  tenderness,  and  the  confidence 


Twenty-fifth   Day.  407 

of  a  son,  a  friend,  a  brother.  It  is  our 
heart  that  It  craves  more  than  anything 
else;  and  that  we  will  give  It  if  we  sym 
pathize  in  Its  thoughts,  Its  interests,  Its 
affections.  Oh,  what  great  things  the 
Heart  of  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist  desires 
for  the  glory  of  His  Father  and  the  salva 
tion  of  men !  He  remains  in  so  many  taber 
nacles  only  to  procure  that  glory,  sustain 
His  Church,  save  sinners,  preserve  the  just, 
and  offer  Himself  for  the  poor  souls  in 
purgatory.  Let  us  make  His  interests  our 
own.  Let  us  join  our  prayers,  our  love 
and  our  works  to  His  sacrifice,  to  His  per 
petual  apostolate. 

Thirdly,  let  us  compassionate  that  Heart, 
neglected,  despised,  abandoned.  Doubt 
less,  It  is  interiorly  inundated  with  unal 
terable  joy,  plunged  in  unalloyed  beati 
tude.  But  sin  and  forgetfulness  affect  It 
in  a  divine  and  inexplicable  manner.  Its 
complaints  to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  if 
we  truly  loved,  we  would  hear  issuing  from 
all  the  Hosts  that  we  adore  behind  the  gold 
en  wall  of  the  tabernacle,  or  under  the  crys 
tal  of  the  ostensorium ;  and  above  all,  from 
the  Host  of  our  Holy  Communion,  which 
descends  into  our  breast,  begging  for  our 


408     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

compassion,  our  tears,  our  love,  our  repara 
tion.  Oh,  may  our  heart  be  ever  loving 
to  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  unknown,  humiliated, 
and  wounded  by  ingratitude  ! 

Fourthly,  let  us  make  it  our  duty  to  com 
mune  with  the  Heart  of  Jesus  whenever 
we  approach  the  Holy  Table.  Let  us  go 
beyond  appearances.  Let  us  enter  into  the 
Eucharistic  Body  by  the  Wounded  Side, 
to  discover  therein  the  Heart  of  Our 
Saviour,  the  source  of  His  mortal  life  on 
earth,  of  His  glorified  life  in  heaven,  of  His 
Eucharistic  life,  the  pledge  of  His  perpetual 
abiding  with  us,  the  furnace  of  all  the  love 
that  this  Adorable  Sacrament  lavishes  upon 
us. 

Then,  as  the  fruit  of  Communion,  let 
us  give  to  the  Heart  of  Jesus  full  empire 
over  our  heart  and  our  life.  Let  Him  hold  the 
reins  of  our  thoughts,  and  above  all,  of  our 
affections.  Let  us  submit  to  It  our  desires 
and  our  projects  that  It  may  approve  and 
bless  them.  Let  all  our  crosses  be  faith 
fully  offered  to  It,  that  It  may  alleviate 
them,  sanctify  them,  and  render  them  mer 
itorious  for  us  and  for  the  whole  world. 

What  shall  we  say  in  conclusion?  —  The 
Eucharist  is  Jesus  living,  Jesus  loving. 


Twenty-fifth   Day.  409 

Jesus  kind,  Jesus  who  gives  Himself,  Jesus 
who  understands  us  just  because,  in  the 
Holy  Eucharist,  is  truly  and  really  His 
Heart.  Let  us  seek  and  find  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  where  It  is  hidden  for  us.  Let  us 
love  It  where  It  loves  us,  in  the  most 
Blessed  Sacrament. 

Beg  our  Eucharistic  Lord  to  increase 
your  reverence  when  in  the  presence  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament. 

Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus,  solace  in  our 
exile,  give  peace  to  the  Church. 

(100  days  Indulgence.) 


THE  HOLY  NAME  OF  JESUS. 
ADORATION. 

O  JESUS,  my  adorable  Saviour!  I  pro 
nounce  Thy  holy  name  Jesus,  and  I  feel 
my  soul  penetrated  with  respect,  love,  and 
adoration  for  the  Divine  Person  who  bears 
this  thrice  holy  name.  I  love  Thee,  O 
my  Saviour,  for  ennobling  our  human  na 
ture  by  taking  from  it  Thy  Body,  Thy 
Blood,  Thy  Heart,  and  Thy  Soul  with  all 
their  admirable  faculties  !  I  say  to  myself  : 
If  the  name  of  Jesus  is  so  holy,  so  terrible 
that,  when  pronounced  every  knee  should 
bow  in  heaven,  on  earth,  and  in  hell ;  if  it 
is  so  powerful  that  the  first  miracle  of  the 
New  Law,  the  first  miracle  of  Thy  Apostle 
Peter,  was  wrought  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  and  ever  since  by  the  power 
of  the  same  holy  name  the  saints  have  per 
formed  so  many  prodigies,  what  must  we 
think  of  Him  who  bears  that  name  of  glory 
and  of  love?  If  the  name  of  Jesus  is  so 
sweet,  so  charming  that  the  Church  delights 
410 


Twenty-sixth  Day.  411 

in  chanting  it,  and  all  who  love  the  Saviour 
thrill  with  joy  when  pronouncing  it  or 
hearing  it  pronounced,  what  shall  we  say  of 
Him,  of  Jesus  Himself? 

Ah !  I  understand  why  the  name  of  Jesus 
is  of  so  much  worth  and  merit,  why  it  is 
deserving  of  so  much  reverence  and  confi 
dence.  It  is  because  Jesus  signifies  Saviour 
of  the  world.  Now,  only  a  God,  a  God 
made  Man,  has  power  to  save  us,  as  Peter 
assured  the  Jews  that  there  was  no  other 
name  by  which  we  could  be  saved.  Jesus! 
Matchless  name,  peerless  name,  sacred 
name  par  excellence,  name  truly  adorable, 
because  it  is  the  name  of  our  Emmanuel, 
the  name  of  the  good  God,  present  and  liv 
ing  among  us!  To  merit  this  name  above 
every  name,  Oh,  how  much  our  dear  Sav 
iour  suffered  and  humbled  Himself,  becom 
ing,  as  St.  Paul  says,  obedient  unto  death 
and  the  death  of  the  cross!  (1) 

Gladly,  then,  will  I  cry  out  with  David: 
"  O  Lord,  our  Lord,  how  admirable  is  thy 
name  in  the  whole  earth!  From  the  rising 
of  the  sun  till  the  going  down  of  the  same, 
the  name  of  the  Lord  is  worthy  of 

(1)   Philip,   ii,   8. 


+12     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

praise.  Young  men  and  maidens:  let  the 
old  with  the  younger  praise  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  for  his  name  alone  is  exalted.  All 
the  nations  thou  hast  made  shall  come  and 
adore  before  thee,  O  Lord:  and  they  shall 
glorify  thy  name!" 

Would,  O  my  Jesus,  that  I  could  speak 
and  write  Thy  name  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  as  did  St.  Paul  in  his  Epistles! 
Would  that  I  could  declare  with  St.  Augus 
tine  and  St.  Bernard  that  every  writing  is 
insipid  if  I  find  not  there  the  name  of  Jesus, 
that  every  conversation  is  wearisome  if  it 
does  not  echo  the  sound  of  the  holy  name 
of  Jesus !  Would  that,  in  imitation  of  St. 
Bernardine  of  Siena,  I  could  engrave  the 
name  of  Jesus  in  letters  of  radiant  gold  on 
the  walls  of  every  public  edifice  and  every 
private  dwelling!  Above  all,  by  dint  of 
pronouncing  it  and  chanting  it,  would  that 
after  my  death  it  might  be  found  engraven 
on  my  heart,  as  on  that  of  St.  Ignatius  of 
Antioch ! 

THANKSGIVING. 

The  name  of  Jesus  is  a  name  of  sweet 
ness  and  love.  If  it  calls  upon  me  loudly 
to  adore,  it  commands  me  not  less  impera- 


Twenty-sixth  Day.  413 

lively  to  thank.  The  name  of  Jesus  recalls 
to  me  my  beloved  Saviour,  my  Sovereign 
Benefactor,  Him  to  whom  I  owe  all  that  I 
am,  all  that  I  have,  all  that  I  hope  for  and 
expect  in  this  world,  both  in  the  natural 
and  the  supernatural  order,  and  in  the  next, 
eternal  glory  and  beatitude. 

To  pronounce,  to  hear  the  name  of  Jesus, 
is  in  itself  a  grace,  a  protection.  The  saints 
teach  charming  things  on  this  subject.  I 
love  especially  to  recall  what  St.  Laurence 
Justinian  says  of  the  advantages  to  be  de 
rived  from  the  pious  invocation  of  the  name 
of  Jesus  (1)  :  "  As  often  as  you  piously 
pronounce  this  holy  name,  you  taste  a  cer 
tain  spiritual  sweetness  most  agreeable,  not 
only  in  the  heart,  but  also  on  the  lips.  This 
name  has  a  power  all  its  own  to  rejoice 
the  soul,  refresh  the  spirit,  strengthen  de 
votion,  and  rouse  the  piety  of  him  who  in 
vokes  it.  If  tempted  by  the  demon,  op 
pressed  by  men,  burdened  by  sadness,  worn 
out  by  suffering ;  if  violently  agitated  by  the 
spirit  of  blasphemy  or  despair,  struck  with 
terror,  or  plunged  into  the  agony  of  doubt, 
utter  the  name  of  Jesus  and,  at  once,  light 


(1)     Sermon  on  the  Circumcision  of  Our  Lord. 


414     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

and  grace  will  flow  upon  you.  Yes,  in  dif 
ficult,  perilous,  terrible  moments,  at  home 
and  abroad,  in  the  desert  and  on  the  bil 
lows  of  the  sea ;  in  fine,  wherever  you  may 
be,  pronounce  the  name  of  the  Saviour. 
Pronounce  it  not  with  the  lips  alone,  but 
from  the  bottom  of  the  heart,  with  faith, 
love,  and  confidence,  for  it  would  serve  lit 
tle  merely  to  spell,  as  it  were,  the  syllables 
of  the  divine  name.  But  if  you  say,  Lord 
Jesus!  confessing  with  mouth  and  heart 
that  He  is  truly  God  and  truly  man  in  the 
unity  of  one  same  Person,  you  will  be  en 
tirely  embalmed  with  the  good  odor  of 
Christ  and,  by  virtue  of  that  confession, 
you  will  be  saved." 

Let  us  now  listen  to  St.  Bernard :  "  The 
name  of  Jesus,"  says  he,  "  is  honey  to  my 
mouth,  music  to  my  ear,  jubilation  in  my 
heart.  .  .  .  Thy  name,  O  Lord,  is 
like  oil  poured  out.  Oil  enlightens,  nour 
ishes,  softens.  It  feeds  fire,  nourishes  the 
flesh,  soothes  pain.  It  is  a  light,  a  nourish 
ment,  a  remedy.  And  so  it  is  with  the 
name  of  Jesus." 

Here  let  us  give  utterance  to  our  senti 
ments  of  gratitude,  for  we  have  near  us  in 
our  tabernacles  Him  who  is  called  Jesus, 


Twenty-sixth  Day.  415 

and  we  can  approach  Him,  speak  to  Him, 
receive  Him  into  our  breast,  and  unite  our 
selves  to  Him  as  closely  as  we  please.  O 
my  Jesus,  if  Thy  name  is  already  a  light, 
a  nourishment,  and  a  remedy,  can  I  doubt 
that  Thy  Body  and  Blood,  Thy  Soul  and 
Thy  Divinity  contained  in  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament,  are  with  far  greater  reason 
our  indefectible  light,  our  supersubstantial 
nourishment,  and  the  remedy  for  all  the 
evils  of  our  soul?  Moreover,  it  is  Thou 
Thyself,  O  well-beloved  Saviour,  who  hast 
said :  "  /  am  the  light  of  the  world."  "  My 
Flesh  is  meat,  indeed.  I  am  the  living 
Bread."  "I  am  not  come  for  those  that 
are  well,  but  for  the  sick" 

May  the  name  of  the  Lord  be  forever 
blessed,  and  praised  and  thanked  at  every 
moment  be  the  Most  Holy  and  Most  Di 
vine  Sacrament! 

REPARATION. 

The  name  of  Jesus  has  wonderful  power 
to  incite  us  to  reparation.  There  is  nothing 
astonishing  in  this,  since  Jesus  is  the  name 
of  our  dear  Saviour,  officially  imposed  upon 
Him  on  the  day  on  which,  in  His  eagerness 
to  save  us,  He  began  to  shed  the  first  drops 


416     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus, 

of  His  Precious  Blood,  namely,  the  day  of 
His  Circumcision.  It  is  in  view  of  this 
fact  that  Holy  Mother  Church  places 
upon  the  lips  of  her  erring  children  these 
words  :  "  By  Thy  name,  O  Lord,  have  pity 
on  me,  for  great  is  my  sin!"  "Through 
Thy  holy  name,  O  Lord,  pardon  my  sins!" 
To  repair  the  sins  committed  against  the 
Eucharist,  the  forgetfulness,  the  irrever 
ence,  the  blasphemy,  let  us  love  to  repeat 
often  the  following  little  act  of  love  and 
adoration:  Praised  be  Jesus  Christ!  Let 
us  say  it  when  passing  before  a  church, 
when  we  see  a  steeple  in  the  distance,  when 
making  the  genuflection  or  the  prostration 
before  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  Our 
fathers,  the  first  Christians,  when  they  met, 
saluted  one  another  with  the  words: 
Praised  be  Jesus  Christ!  Why,  at  least 
among  devout  persons,  should  we  not  try 
to  establish  this  holy  custom?  Let  us  say, 
let  us  cry  out  if  possible,  when  we  hear  a 
blasphemy:  Praised  be  Jesus  Christ!— -If 
miscreants  claim  the  right  to  blaspheme  and 
curse  aloud,  why  should  we  not  enjoy  the 
liberty  to  bless  and  adore  aloud  ?  In  many 
Christian  homes,  notably  in  Catholic  Bel 
gium,  may  be  seen  on  the  walls  scrolls  and 


Twenty-sixth  Day.  417 

placards,  bearing  in  large  characters  these 
words,  which  are  constantly  repeated : 
Praised  be  Jesus  Christ!  Forever! — Ahl 
here  is  a  tradition  which  we  should  not  al 
low  to  fall  into  disuse.  It  would  help  to 
repair  the  evil  wrought  by  so  many  vile 
posters  stuck  on  the  walls  of  our  cities. 

There  is  another  invocation  of  Thy  holy 
name,  O  my  Jesus,  which  is  reparative  in 
the  highest  degree.  It  consists  of  the  three 
words :  "  My  Jesus,  mercy  I"  ( 1 ) . 

Let  us  love  to  repeat  it  in  reparation  for 
our  sins  and  for  the  conversion  of  sinners. 

PETITION. 

My  Jesus,  mercy!  It  is  a  cry  of  repara 
tion  and  an  ardent  prayer.  St.  Leonard 
of  Port-Maurice,  that  illustrious  converter 
of  souls,  that  great  apostle  of  Italy  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  constituted  himself  the 
indefatigable  propagator  of  this  short,  but 
powerful,  invocation.  He  used  to  cry  out 
at  the  end  of  his  missions  :  "  Ah  !  my  dear 
ly  beloved  brethren,  who  will  give  me  a 
voice  of  thunder,  or  rather  one  of  the  trum- 


(1)   This   invocation   is   enriched   with   an   In 
dulgence  of  100  days. 


118     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

pets  that  will  resound  on  the  day  of  the 
Last  Judgment,  and,  transported  with  holy 
zeal,  I  shall  ascend  to  the  top  of  the  high 
est  mountains  and  from  there  shout  with 
all  my  might :  '  Erring  people,  commend 
yourselves  to  God  in  these  or  similar  words : 
My  Jesus,  mercy!  My  Jesus,  mercy!'- 
And  I  give  you  my  word,  since  Jesus  has 
given  you  His  before  me  in  His  holy  Gos 
pel,  when  He  said,  'Ask,  and  you  shall 
receive' — yes,  I  give  you  my  word,  I  re 
peat,  if  you  commend  yourselves  often  to 
God  by  these  words,  My  Jesus,  mercy!  you 
will  cease  to  sin,  and  you  will  be  saved !  " 

This  incredible  power  of  the  invocation 
of  the  holy  name  of  Jesus  is  founded  on 
the  promise  of  Our  Lord  Himself.  Hast 
Thou  not  said,  O  good  Master:  Whatso 
ever  you  shall  ask  the  Father  in  My  name, 
that  will  I  do?  Has  not  Thy  Apostle  writ 
ten:  Whosoever  shall  call  upon  the  name 
of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved?  Behold  why 
the  Church  expects  all  her  help  from  the 
Lord  who  made  heaven  and  earth:  Adju- 
torium  nostrum  in  nomine  Domini  qui  fecit 
coelum  et  terram. — Blessed,  then  is  the 
man  whose  hope  is  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord!  Again,  if  the  name  alone  of  Jesus 


Twenty-sixth  Day.  419 

possesses  so  great  supernatural  power, 
what  of  His  Person  Itself,  of  His  Divinity, 
His  Sacred  Humanity  ?  What  is  the  power 
of  His  Soul,  of  His  Body,  and  of  His 
Precious  Blood?  What  shall  we  say  of 
His  Heart,  that  adorable  Heart,  which  the 
Divine  Sacrament  places  at  our  disposi 
tion,  that  by  It  we  may  render  to  God  all 
our  religious  duties,  merit  all  His  benefits, 
and  pay  our  debt  of  gratitude  for  them? 
Yes,  when  we  offer  to  Almighty  God  the 
Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  in  the  Holy  Eucha 
rist,  we  discharge  our  debt  far  beyond  its 
value,  since  nothing  can  equal  in  worth  the 
Holy  Eucharist,  the  Gift  above  all  gifts ! 

Pray  earnestly  for  the  conversion  of  sin 
ners. 

My  Jesus,  mercy! 

(100  days'  Indulgence.} 


THE    SACRED    HEART    IN    THE    HOST    OF    THE 
REAL  PRESENCE. 

ADORATION. 

THE  Sacred  Heart  in  revealing  Itself  to 
St.  John  as  present  and  living  in  the  Host 
which  the  Divine  Master  presented  to  His 
Apostles  before  giving  It  to  them  in  Com 
munion,  showed  him  at  the  same  time  Its 
reality,  human  and  divine.  It  made  him  un 
derstand  that,  under  the  appearance  of  ma 
terial  bread,  the  Eucharistic  Christ  was  in 
every  sense  the  Man-God,  born  of  the  Fa 
ther  from  all  eternity  and  of  Mary  in  time. 
By  the  words  with  which  He  invested  It 
with  the  sacramental  state,  He  revealed 
with  what  splendors  of  divine  love,  with 
what  tenderness  of  human  love,  the  Saviour 
willed,  by  means  of  His  abiding  Presence 
throughout  the  ages,  to  love,  "  His  own,  " 
that  is,  all  men  now  become  His  brethren 
by  a  double  right,  by  nature  and  by  redemp 
tion  :  "  Cum  dilexisset  suos  qui  erant  in 
mundo,  in  finem  dilexit  eos — Having  loved 
420 


Twenty-seventh  Day.  421 

His  own  who  were  in  the  world,  He  loved 
them  to  the  end." 

It  pleased  the  Heart  of  Christ,  in  His 
long  Eucharistic  career,  which  the  univer 
sal  and  obstinate  ingratitude  of  men  ren 
dered  equal  to  the  most  ignominious  captiv 
ity,  to  make  a  brilliant  manifestation  of  His 
Presence,  His  life,  and  His  love  in  the  Eu 
charist.  For  the  benefit  of  Christianity 
now  grown  old,  He  renewed  to  a  daughter 
of  France  the  Revelation  formerly  made 
to  St.  John  for  the  early  Church.  Paray- 
le-Monial  was  the  Cenacle  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  as  the  house  of  St.  John  had  been 
the  Cenacle  of  the  Eucharist. 

"  One  day,  when  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
was  exposed,"  says  that  favored  daughter, 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  "  my  good  Master 
presented  Himself  to  me  brilliant  with 
glory,  His  five  wounds  shining  like  so  many 
suns.  From  every  part  of  His  Sacred  Hu 
manity  streamed  flames ;  above  all  from  His 
adorable  breast,  which  was  like  a  furnace. 
Opening  it,  He  disclosed  to  me  His  Divine 
Heart,  the  living  source  of  those  flames !  " 

The  special  end  of  this  Eucharistic  rev 
elation  of  the  Sacred  Heart  is  to  manifest 
the  love,  the  real,  the  actual  love  with  which 


The  Eu  charts  tic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Jesus  never  ceases  to  love  souls  in  the  Sac 
rament. 

Faith  had  grown  weak  and  indifference 
was  testified  by  the  contempt  and  forget- 
fulness  shown  the  outward  sign  of  the  Eu 
charist.  But  the  Saviour,  raising  the  Eu- 
charistic  veils,  or  rather  illuminating  them 
with  a  radiance  more  brilliant  than  that 
of  the  sun,  shows  His  Heart  with  the 
words :  "  Behold  this  Heart  which  has 
loved  men  so  much  that  It  has  spared  noth 
ing,  even  to  exhausting  and  consuming  It 
self  to  testify  to  them  Its  love !  " 

This  love  is  a  real  love  in  His  Heart. 
It  is  not  the  mere  remembrance  of  the  old 
love  which  made  Him  redeem  the  world  by 
becoming  incarnate  and  dying  for  man's 
salvation,  which  the  burning  lamp  of  His 
Heart  enkindled  on  the  night  of  the  Eu- 
charistic  Mystery,  ought  to  recall  to  an  in 
different  world.  It  is  the  actual  love  with 
which  He  loves  it,  and  through  which,  after 
nineteen  centuries,  He  still  devotes  and  con 
sumes  Himself  daily  for  it,  as  He  did  on  the 
evening  of  the  Last  Supper.  On  that  even 
ing  He  loved  "  even  to  the  end,"  that  is, 
without  measure.  Today  behold  how  He 
loves  without  being  exhausted  or  wearied: 


Twenty-seventh  Day.  423 

"  My  Divine  Heart  is  so  filled  with  love 
for  men  that,  no  longer  able  to  contain  in 
Itself  the  flames  of  Its  burning  charity,  It 
must  of  necessity  spread  them  forth  by  thy 
means.  It  must  manifest  Itself  to  them, 
in  order  to  enrich  them  with  Its  precious 
treasures  which  contain  the  salutary  graces 
necessary  to  withdraw  them  from  the  abyss 
of  perdition." 

THANKSGIVING. 

Still  more,  this  love  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
is  eager  for  a  return.  It  feels  the  need  of 
being  comprehended,  of  being  faithfully  re 
ciprocated.  It  suffers  from  forgetfulness, 
coldness,  ingratitude,  and  abandonment. 
"  He  discovered  to  me,"  says  Blessed  Mar 
garet  Mary,  "  the  inexplicable  marvels  of 
His  pure  love,  and  to  what  excess  it  had 
carried  Him,  leading  Him  to  love  those  from 
whom  He  received  only  ingratitude.  '  This 
is  to  me,'  He  said,  '  more  wounding  than  all 
that  I  suffered  in  My  Passion !  For,  if  they 
made  some  return  for  My  love  I  should  es 
teem  all  that  I  have  done  for  them  as  little, 
and  I  would  wish,  if  it  were  possible,  to 
endure  still  more.  But  they  meet  all  My 
eagerness  to  do  them  good  with  coldness 
and  rebuffs.'  " 


424     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  JesuS. 

"  This  is  more  wounding  to  Me  than  all 
that  I  suffered  in  My  Passion ! "  These 
words  forcibly  proclaim  the  truth,  the  reality, 
the  ardor  of  the  love  of  Thy  Sacred  Heart 
for  us,  O  adorable  Master !  Are  we  to  under 
stand  from  them  that  Thou  dost  endure  a 
real  sorrow  such  as  we  ourselves  sometimes 
feel  ?  a  grief  which  lessens  or  destroys  Thy 
joy  as  to  its  extent,  its  depth,  or  its  dura 
tion  ?  By  no  means !  For  all  the  manifes 
tations  of  Thy  sacramental  life  are  in  ac 
cordance  with  the  laws  upon  which  it  is 
founded.  Now,  since  the  morning  of  the 
Resurrection  joy  has  forever  taken  posses 
sion  of  Thy  Soul,  filling  It  to  overflowing, 
without  the  possibility  of  its  being  impaired 
or  diminished  by  any  cause  whatever.  It 
is  like  the  immortal  life  that  raised  Thy 
Body  from  the  tomb,  excluding  from  it  for 
ever  physical  suffering,  fatigue,  or  hunger. 

But  why  use  expressions  that  do  not  cor 
respond  to  the  reality? 

Those  expressions  of  suffering  in  the 
Heart  of  the  Encharistic  Christ  were  true 
at  the  moment  in  which  the  Saviour  insti 
tuted  the  Sacrament.  He  was  then  passible 
and  subject  to  all  kinds  of  sufferings.  "  His 
Heart  was  filled  with  evils:  Repleta  est 


Twenty-seventh  Day.  425 

malis  anima  mea,"  and  the  horror  that  He 
felt  on  beholding  Judas  sacrilegiously  par 
ticipating  in  the  reception  of  His  Body  suf- 
ficently  testifies  how  much  He  suffered  from 
the  contempt,  the  outrages,  which  met  His 
clear-sighted  gaze  down  the  coming  centu 
ries.  In  His  chalice  of  the  Last  Supper,  by 
foreseeing  and  accepting  them,  He  drank 
at  a  single  draught  all  the  bitterness  and 
sadness  which,  until  the  end  of  time,  are  to 
fall  upon  Him  in  His  Eucharistic  existence. 
As  He  receives  this  ingratitude  from  those 
whom  He  purchased  with  His  Blood  and 
nourished  with  His  Flesh,  whom  He  ele 
vated  to  the  dignity  of  children  of  God, 
nay,  even  from  consecrated  virgins  and 
priests  of  the  New  Covenant,  He  can  say 
in  all  truth  that  it  is  "more  wounding  to 
Him  than  all  He  endured  in  His  Passion/' 
These  words  are  rigorously  true  for  the  mo 
ment  of  the  Eucharistic  institution,  which 
in  reality  embraced  all  the  Holy  Masses 
that  were  to  follow  till  the  end  of  time.  O 
Master  of  truth,  in  the  strictest  theological 
sense,  Thou  wast  justified  in  using  them ! 

"  One  day,"  says  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
"  the  Sacred  Heart  was  represented  to  me  as 
upon  a  throne  of  fire,  more  brilliant  than 


426     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  sun  and  transparent  as  crystal."  Here 
we  see  Its  state  of  fundamental  glory.  But 
now  let  us  see  the  sufferings  of  Its  institu 
tion,  the  remembrance  of  which  Jesus  de 
sires  to  imprint  in  our  mind :  "  The  wound 
that  It  had  received  on  the  cross,"  the  Bless 
ed  Sister  goes  on  to  say,  "  was  plainly  vis 
ible.  There  was  a  crown  of  thorns  around 
the  Divine  Heart  and  a  cross  above  It.  My 
Divine  Master  gave  me  to  understand  that 
these  instruments  of  His  Passion  signified 
that  from  the  first  moment  of  Its  institu 
tion  He  accepted  all  the  outrages  to  which 
His  love  for  man  would  expose  Him  in  the 
Most  Blessed  Sacrament." 

REPARATION. 

These  loving  and  sorrowful  complaints, 
O  Lord,  Thou  dost  employ  also  toward  us, 
to  give  us  some  idea  of  the  gravity  of  our 
faults  in  Thy  regard.  As  we  are  more  alive 
to  what  is  actual  and  present,  by  telling  us 
how  greatly  Thy  Heart  suffers  in  the  Sac 
rament,  Thou  didst  wish  us  to  hear  these 
words :  "  When  I  instituted  the  Eucharist, 
My  Heart  suffered  from  all  the  ingratitude 
that  men  would  heap  upon  It  in  the  years  to 
come.  Every  time  that  it  was  struck  by 


Twenty-seventh  Day.  427 

one  of  these  outrages,  It  would  again  have 
endured  as  much  were  that  still  possible." 

It  is  for  this  reason  that,  in  the  revelation 
of  Paray,  which  throws  so  much  light  on 
the  nature  of  His  love  for  man  in  the  Eu 
charist,  Jesus  so  often  shows  Himself 
wounded  and  covered  with  ignominy. 

"  Disclosing  to  me  one  day,"  says  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary,  "  His  loving  Heart  all  torn 
and  transpierced  with  blows,  He  said :  '  Be 
hold  the  wounds  I  have  received  from  My 
chosen  people !  Others  are  satisfied  with 
striking  Me  on  My  person,  but  these  attack 
My  Heart,  which  has  never  ceased  to  love 
them  ! '  "  And  again,  "  He  presented  Him 
self  to  me  as  the  Ecce  Homo,  all  bruised 
and  disfigured,  saying :  '  I  have  found  no 
one  willing  to  shelter  Me  in  the  suffering 
and  pitiable  state  in  which  I  am ! '  She 
adds :  "  This  sight  filled  me  with  so  lively 
a  grief  that  death  would  have  been  a  thou 
sand  times  sweeter  than  to  see  my  Saviour 
in  that  state !  "  The  Divine  Heart  had  ob 
tained  what  It  sought  by  showing  Itself 
under  this  exterior  of  suffering,  namely, 
compassion  and  reparation. 

Our  Lord's  glorious  impassibility  does 
not,  then,  lessen  the  sufferings  caused  by 


428     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

our  injuries,  which  all  mount  up  to  the  first 
moment  of  His  sacramental  existence.  On 
the  contrary,  it  increases  the  gravity  of  our 
faults  by  uselessly  continuing  under  our 
eyes  the  perseverance  of  His  invincible  love. 
O  my  sweet  Master,  repeat  again  the  com 
plaint  of  Thy  Heart!  I  have  need  of  its 
frequently  striking  my  heart,  until  it  is 
broken  with  contrition  and  softened  by  com 
passion  :  "  I  receive  for  the  most  part  only 
ingratitude,  and  that  is  more  wounding  to 
Me  than  all  that  I  endured  in  My  Passion ! " 

The  Revelation  of  Paray  clearly  mani 
fests  the  desire  and  need  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  to  be  loved  by  men  in  the  Sacrament, 
and  how  sensible  It  is  of  the  least  homage, 
of  the  least  attention.  This  seeking  after 
affection  is  akin  to  Its  nature  and  is  a  satis 
faction  to  which  It  has  a  right,  for  It  has 
every  title  to  our  love.  It  is,  above  all, 
the  means  of  making  us  capable  of  doing 
good.  By  loving  It  we  fulfil  our  chief 
duty,  we  find  the  assured  means  of  easily 
accomplishing  all  others,  and  we  receive  the 
joy,  the  consolation,  and  the  foretaste  of 
beatitude. 

Thou  wilt  say,  then,  O  Heart  eager  to  be 
loved :  "  I  thirst  ardently  to  be  honored  by 


Twenty-seventh  Day.  429 

men  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  I  find 
almost  no  one  who  tries,  according  to  My 
desire,  to  slake  My  thirst  by  making  Me 
some  return ! " 

And  again  Thou  wilt  say :  "  If  men  made 
Me  some  return  for  My  love,  I  should  es 
teem  what  I  have  done  for  them  as  little, 
and  I  would  wish,  if  it  were  possible,  to 
suffer  still  more." 

PETITION. 

After  these  appeals,  which  are  made  to 
all  mankind,  Jesus  becomes  a  suppliant, 
humbly  soliciting,  earnestly  begging  of 
everyone  the  smallest  testimonies  of  love. 
"  Do  thou,  at  least,"  does  He  say  to  His  ser 
vant  Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  "  give  Me  the 
consolation  of  supplying  for  their  ingrati 
tude  as  far  as  thou  art  able !  "  And  she 
again  assures  us :  "  My  Divine  Master  has 
told  me  that  He  takes  special  pleasure  in 
being  honored  under  the  figure  of  this 
Heart  of  flesh." 

Although  His  glorified  state  cuts  Him 
off  from  experiencing  suffering,  yet  He  does 
not  deny  Himself  the  joy  to  be  tasted  in 
the  marks  of  love  shown  Him,  or  the  glory 
derived  from  the  honors  rendered  Him.  Al- 


430     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

though  plunged  in  the  plenitude  of  infinite- 
happiness,  He  still  seeks  an  increase  of. 
accidental  glory  and  beatitude  in  the  love,, 
the  fidelity,  the  delicate  attentions  of  men, 
who  belong  to  His  Heart  by  so  many  sacred, 
claims. 

Sighing  for  relief  and  consolation,  He: 
continues :  "  Thou  shalt  bear  Me  company 
in  the  humble  prayer  that  I  offered  to  My 
Father  in  the  Garden  of  Olives,  Thou 
shalt  prostrate,  thy  face  to  the  ground.  .  .. 
in  order  to  alleviate  in  some  degree  the  bit 
terness  that  I  then  experienced  from  the 
desertion  of  My  Apostles,  which  forced  Me 
to  reproach  them  with  not  being  willing  to 
watch  one  hour  with  Me." 

That  we  may  not  be  able  to  plead  inabil 
ity  to  love  Him  as  He  desires,  He  infuses 
into  us  His  own  love,  and  fans  it  into  flame. 
Still  more,  He  changes  our  heart,  giving 
us,  in  order  to  love  Him,  His  own  Heart. 
"  As  I  represented  to  Him,"  says  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary,  "  my  powerlessness  to  love 
Him,  He  demanded  my  heart.  I  begged  Him 
to  take  it.  He  did  so,  and  placed  it  in  His 
own  adorable  Heart,  in  which  He  showed  it 
to  me  as  a  tiny  atom  being  consumed  in 
that  burning  furnace.  Thence  withdraw- 


Twenty-seventh  Day.  431 

ing  it  like  a  glowing  flame  in  the  shape  of  a 
heart,  He  replaced  it  in  my  breast,  saying: 
'  Behold,  My  beloved,  a  precious  pledge  of 
My  love,  which  shuts  up  in  thy  side  a  little 
spark  of  Its  fiery  flames,  to  serve  thee  for 
a  heart  and  to  consume  thee  till  the  last  mo 
ment  of  thy  life.' ': 

"  This  favor,"  says  the  Blessed  Sister's 
contemporaries,  "  was  renewed  the  first 
Friday  of  every  month  in  this  way — the 
Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  was  represented  to 
her  as  a  sun,  brilliant  with  light.  Its  burn 
ing  rays  shot  down  upon  her  heart  which, 
under  the  influence  of  so  intense  a  fire,  felt 
as  if  it  were  being  reduced  to  ashes.  It  was 
especially  at  these  moments  her  Divine  Mas 
ter  instructed  her  as  to  what  He  demanded 
of  her,  and  discovered  to  her  the  secrets  of 
His  Heart." 

These  diverse  testimonies  from  the  Reve 
lation  of  Paray  unite  in  proving  to  us  how 
truly  the  Sacred  Heart  in  the  Blessed  Sac 
rament  actually  loves  us.  It  is  a  love  both 
divine  and  human,  but  sincere,  intelligent, 
and  sensible.  It  is  a  love  which  pours  itself 
out  in  infinite  effusions  upon  the  world,  but 
which  longs  to  flow  without  measure  into 
every  soul  redeemed  by  Him  on  the  Cross. 


432     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Jesus  desires  to  lead  every  soul  to  heaven 
by  constituting  Himself  in  the  Blessed  Sac 
rament  its  guide,  support,  surety,  and  help 
at  every  moment.  It  is  a  love  that  has  need 
of  reciprocity,  a  love  that  calls  for  return, 
that  really  enjoys  receiving  it,  and  that  suf 
fers  (in  the  divine  manner  in  which  God 
can  suffer  from  our  offences)  at  seeing 
itself  rejected.  It  is  a  lasting,  persevering 
love,  that  recoils  before  no  obstacle,  is 
wearied  by  no  ingratitude,  that  no  hatred 
can  turn  to  hate,  but  which,  on  the  contrary, 
is  changed  by  sin  into  mercy  and  pardon. 
It  is  the  love  faithful  among  all  loves, 
sweet,  compassionate,  indulgent,  conde 
scending,  and  patient. 

Ah!  if  we  could  believe  in  the  truth  and 
sincerity  of  this  love  which  calls  us  by  our 
name,  reads  our  most  secret  thoughts,  knows 
our  most  private  needs,  watches  over  every 
one  of  us  night  and  day,  follows  us  step  by 
step,  prays  and  pleads  for  us  incessantly  be 
fore  God,  and  has  no  other  desire  than  our 
good !  If  we  could  believe  that  this  love 
feels  itself  repaid  if  we  only  trust  in  Him 
and  allow  ourselves  to  be  loved  by  Him ! 
Ah,  if  we  truly  believed  in  His  tenderness, 
devotedness,  and  fidelity,  what  a  blessed 


Twenty-seventh  Day.  433 

change  would  come  over  the  conditions  of 
our  existence  on  this  earth !  No  doubt,  we 
should  still  have  sins  to  shun  and  defects 
to  reform,  difficulties  to  surmount  and  suf 
ferings  to  endure ;  but  we  should  no  longer 
be  alone  without  guide  or  support,  without 
Saviour  or  pastor  near  us,  without  Jesus, 
without  God  with  us,  all  to  us  and  for  us. 
We  should  feel  ourselves  truly  and  person 
ally  loved  by  the  most  generous  and  loving 
of  hearts.  And,  in  truth,  what  more  can 
man  desire  upon  earth :  "  Et  a  te  quid  super 
terram,  Deus  cordis  mei  et  pars  mea  Deus 
in  (sternum? — And  besides  Thee  what  do  I 
desire  upon  earth,  Thou  God  of  my  heart 
and  my  portion  forever !  " 

"  I  find  in  the  Sacred  Heart  of  my  Jesus 
all  that  is  wanting  to  my  own  indigence, 
because  It  is  filled  with  mercy,"  says 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary.  "  I  have  never 
found  a  more  efficacious  remedy  in  all  my 
afflictions  than  the  Sacred  Heart  of  my 
Adorable  Jesus.  There  it  is  that  I  slumber 
in  peace,  that  I  repose  without  disquietude. 
There  is  nothing  so  rough  or  vexatious  that 
it  cannot  be  ameliorated  by  the  sweet  Heart 
of  Jesus.  The  sick  and  the  sinful  find  in  It 
a  safe  asylum  in  which  to  remain  in  secur 
ity.  This  divine  and  loving  Heart  is  all  my 


434     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

hope,  all  my  refuge.  Its  merit  is  my  salva 
tion,  my  life,  my  resurrection.  While  Its 
mercy  fails  me  not,  I  am  well  provided  with 
merits ;  for  the  more  powerful  It  is  to  save 
me,  the  more  trust  have  I  in  It. 

"  O  most  liberal  Heart,  be  Thou  all  our 
treasure  and  sufficiency! 

"  O  Heart  most  loving  and  desirable, 
teach  us  to  love  and  desire  but  Thee ! 

"  O  Heart  most  propitious,  which  dost 
take  so  much  pleasure  in  doing  us  good, 
grant  me  wherewith  to  acquit  my  debt 
toward  Divine  Justice!  I  am  insolvent,  do 
Thou  pray  for  me !  Repair  the  evil  I  have 
done  by  the  good  which  Thou  hast  done ! 

"  And  that  I  may  owe  everything  to  Thee, 
O  charitable  Heart,  receive  me  at  the  awful 
hour  of  my  death !  Hide  my  soul  from  the 
divine  wrath!  Protect  and  answer  for  me! 
O  permit  not  that  I  should  be  deprived 
of  loving  Thee  eternally!  May  I  live  but 
by  Thee  and  for  Thee !  Be  forever  my  life, 
my  love,  and  my  all !  " 

Pray  for  fidelity  to  the  inspirations  of 
grace. 

Jesus  !     Mary !     Joseph  ! 

(Indulgence,  7  years  and  7  quarantines.) 


THE    EUCHARISTIC    HEART,    THE    PALLADIUM 
OF  THE   CHURCH. 

THE  Eucharistic  Heart  is  the  Heart  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  Eucharist.  It  is  the 
Heart  that  inspired  the  Divine  Master  to 
make  to  the  world  the  gift  of  the  Eucharist. 
It  is  the  Heart  that  leads  Him  to  renew  this 
gift  every  day.  Again,  it  is  the  Heart  im 
molated  with  Christ  in  the  august  Sacrifice 
of  the  Mass.  It  is  the  Heart  that  gives 
Itself  as  nourishment  in  the  Communion 
with  the  Flesh  and  Blood  of  Jesus.  Lastly, 
it  is  the  Heart  that  is  ever  present,  living 
and  loving,  in  the  breast  of  Christ  abiding 
in  the  tabernacle.  Toward  this  Heart  so 
really  present,  of  whose  love  for  us  we  can 
not  doubt,  which  loves  us  with  all  the 
strength  of  which  it  is  capable,  which  is  so 
unchangingly  faithful  to  us  throughout  the 
long  misery  of  life,  we  shall,  raising  wistful 
eyes  and  suppliant  hands,  send  up  our  heart 
felt  adoration,  thanksgiving,  reparation,  and 
petitions.  May  Mary  and  Joseph,  the  first 
who  felt  the  pulsations  of  this  Heart  of  a 

435 


4.36     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

God,  hidden  in  the  feeble  breast  of  a  new 
born  Babe,  reveal  Him  to  us,  make  us  feel 
living  and  loving  in  our  breast,  although  in 
visible  to  our  eyes,  the  Christ  hidden  under 
the  veils  of  the  Eucharist! 

ADORATION. 

"  Is  it  then  to  be  thought,"  exclaimed 
Solomon,  after  bringing  the  Ark  of  the 
Covenant  into  the  oracle  of  the  Temple, 
erected  by  his  pious  and  magnificent  care, 
"  is  it  then  to  be  thought  that  God  should 
dwell  upon  earth?  For  if  the  heaven  of 
heavens  cannot  contain  Thee,  how  much 
less  this  house  which  I  have  built?  But 
have  regard  to  the  prayer  of  Thy  servant 
and  to  his  supplications,  O  Lord,  my  God, 
hear  the  hymn  and  the  prayer  which  Thy 
servant  prayeth  before  Thee  this  day !  That 
Thy  eyes  may  be  open  upon  this  house  night 
and  day,  upon  the  house  of  which  Thou  hast 
said:  My  name  shall  be  there!  "  (1) 

"  And  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  and  said : 
I  have  heard  thy  prayer  and  thy  supplica 
tion  which  thou  hast  made  before  Me.  I 
have  sanctified  this  house  which  thou  hast 

(1)     III   Kings  viii,  27. 


Twenty-eighth  Day.  437 

built  to  put  My  name  there  forever,  and 
My  eyes  and  My  Heart  shall  be  there 
always.  Et  Cor  meum  ibi  cunctis  die- 
bus  f'(l). 

Solomon  did  not  dare  to  ask  the  presence 
of  the  Divine  Name  in  the  Temple  as  a 
pledge  of  protection,  as  a  palladium  for  the 
city  and  the  nation.  The  Lord  Himself 
added  the  promise  of  a  watchful  eye  and 
an  attentive  ear  toward  all  who  would  come 
there  to  pray,  and  still  more,  He  promised 
the  presence  of  His  Heart.  It  is  very  nat 
ural  that  wherever  the  eyes  are  the  heart 
will  be  also,  for  without  the  heart  which 
gives  life,  how  could  the  eyes  see?  The 
Lord  specified,  nevertheless,  and  promised 
that  where  His  name  and  eyes  should  be, 
there  should  be  His  Heart,  also,  and  that 
forever.  Was  not  this  repetition  only  an 
Oriental  redundance  attributable  to  the 
translator  of  the  divine  revelation?  Ah! 
we  greatly  prefer  to  see  in  it  the  intention 
of  the  paternal  goodness  of  God  who,  wish 
ing  to  make  His  Presence  as  favorable  as 
possible  to  man's  confidence  and  prayer, 
adapted  it  to  his  needs.  And  the  great  need 


(1)  Ibid,  ix,  3. 


438     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

of  man  is  to  know,  to  feel  himself  loved, 
because  he  is  born  for  social  intercourse  of 
which  love  is  the  fundamental  good.  Now, 
the  most  expressive  symbol  of  love  is  the 
heart.  As  the  sensible,  though  mysterious, 
Presence  of  God  in  the  propitiatory  was 
the  figure  of  the  real  and  personal  Presence 
of  the  God-made  Man  in  our  Eucharistic 
tabernacles,  we  see  again  in  this  word  the 
intention  of  formally  arresting  the  eyes,  the 
piety,  the  confidence,  and  the  prayers  of 
Christians  upon  the  Heart  of  Jesus  Christ, 
although  His  eyes  be  open  to  our  presence, 
His  ears  attentive  to  our  supplications,  and 
His  hands  with  their  stigmata  of  love  ex 
tended  toward  us  to  receive  and  hold  us 
fast. 

I  understand  Thee,  O  my  God,  my  good 
Father,  become  my  Brother  and  my  Friend 
by  making  Thyself  man  like  to  me!  Thou 
art  present  there  for  me,  but  knowing  how 
material  I  am,  how  little  given  to  spiritual 
things,  how  I  shrink  from  mystery  if  too 
profound,  how  silence  and  inaction  chill  me, 
how  the  chastisements  I  have  deserved  for 
my  sins  make  me  afraid  of  Thee,  and  how 
much  my  inborn  self-love  renders  me  diffi 
dent,  timid,  and  pusillanimous,  Thou  hast 


Twenty-eighth  Day.  439 

concentrated  all  my  attention  on  Thy  Heart. 
Knowing  me  well,  for  Thou  hast  created  me 
and  re-created  me  by  redeeming  me,  having 
for  over  thirty  years  had  experience  of  the 
miseries  of  my  state,  Thou  hast  given  me 
Thy  Heart,  because  It  proclaims  Thy  own 
human  life,  personal  and  actual ;  because  It 
tells  of  Thy  goodness,  benevolence,  devot- 
edness,  patience,  and  mercy ;  because  It  ex 
cites  sympathy,  invites  confidence,  favors 
familiarity,  encourages  repentant  and  hu 
miliating  avowals.  Ah !  mayst  Thou  be 
blessed  for  having  so  well  understood  me 
and  for  having  summed  up  everything  in 
Thy  Heart  in  order  to  reveal  Thyself  to 
me  in  the  mystery  of  Thy  prophetic  Pres 
ence  in  the  ancient  Temple,  the  anticipation, 
the  shadow  already  so  pronounced  of  Thy 
Real  Presence  in  the  Sacrament  of  our 
altars ! 

Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  in  the  light  of 
the  Sacred  Heart,  admirably  understood 
the  Real  Presence  of  God  in  the  Eucharist. 
"  When  only  four  years  old,  she  felt  so 
powerfully  attracted  to  the  church  that, 
very  far  from  becoming  weary  when  in  its 
sacred  precincts,  she  knew  no  pleasure  in 
life  equal  to  remaining  there  a  long  time, 


440     The  Eucharist  ic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

and  never  left  it  but  with  regret.  As  she 
had  the  happiness  to  dwell  not  far  from  a 
church,  she  frequently  visited  it.  There  she 
would  kneel,  her  hands  joined,  thinking  only 
of  the  first  questions  of  her  catechism,  such 
as  are  taught  to  children  when  they  are 
just  beginning  to  learn.  She  believed  God 
more  really  present  in  the  church  than  else 
where,  because  she  had  been  instructed  ac 
cording  to  her  childish  capacity  that  Jesus 
Christ,  God  and  Man,  abides  Body  and  Soul 
in  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  altar. 
She  believed  this  truth  simply,  and  she  was 
satisfied  in  the  Presence  of  Him  who  from 
that  time  took  possession  of  her  loving 
heart." 

"  The  Divine  Goodness  kept  me  so  occu 
pied  in  His  holy  Presence,"  she  tells  us, 
"  that  I  could  have  passed  whole  days  be 
fore  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament."  When 
she  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  house,  they 
went  to  look  for  her  in  the  church,  and  there 
she  was  sure  to  be.  From  that  time  she 
lost  all  relish  for  vocal  prayers,  which  it  was 
impossible  for  her  to  make  before  the 
Blessed  Sacrament.  She  felt  so  strongly 
attracted  by  Jesus'  Presence  that  she  forgot 
to  eat  and  drink.  "  I  do  not  know  what  I 


Twenty-eighth  Day.  441 

do  there,"  she  says,  "  but  I  feel  a  great  desire 
to  be  consumed  in  His  Divine  Presence  like 
a  burning  torch  to  render  Him  love  for  love. 
I  cannot  remain  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
church  and,  whatever  confusion  I  may  feel 
interiorly,  I  fail  not  to  approach  as  near  as 
possible  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament." 

THANKSGIVING. 

When  the  God-Man  instituted  the  Eu 
charist  to  replace  His  figurative  by  His  per 
sonal  Presence,  to  abide  Body,  Soul  and  Di 
vinity  in  every  tabernacle  under  the  appear 
ance  of  bread,  thus  concealing  from  us  the 
magnificence  of  His  glorified  state,  again 
in  a  very  significant  manner  He  calls  atten 
tion  to  His  Heart.. 

At  the  Last  Supper,  as  soon  as  He  had 
changed  the  bread  into  His  own  substance 
and  given  Himself  as  food  to  the  Apostles, 
He  attracted  John  to  His  breast  and  de 
tained  him  there.  He  permitted  him  to  lay 
his  head  on  His  bosom,  to  linger  there,  to 
give  himself  up  to  repose  so  peaceful  and 
prolonged  that  the  Gospel  says  :  "  Now 
there  was  leaning  on  Jesus'  bosom  one  of 
His  disciples  whom  Jesus  loved — Erat  ergo 


-142     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

recumbens  units  e.v  discipulis  ejns  in  sinu 
Jesu,  quern  diligebat  Jesus"  (1). 

It  is  clear  that  what  John,  by  an  irresist 
ible  movement  of  divine  love,  sought  on  the 
bosom  of  Jesus  and  in  His  breast,  was  the 
Heart  of  His  well-beloved  Master,  in  which 
he  understood  that  the  loving  thought  of  re 
maining  among  men  under  the  form  of  a 
little  bread  had  taken  rise.  He  saw  that  it 
was  the  Heart  of  Jesus  which,  in  an  excess 
of  love,  as  inexplicable  as  incomprehensible, 
had  impelled  Him  to  give  Himself  as  food 
to  him,  to  his  fellow-disciples,  and  through 
them  to  the  whole  world.  He  felt,  and 
Jesus  seemed  to  say  to  him,  that  the  reason 
for  this  ineffable  institution  could  be  found 
only  in  love,  that  is,  in  His  Heart ;  that  there 
alone  would  he  comprehend  the  nature,  the 
end,  the  spirit,  all  that  it  was  necessary  to 
know  in  order  to  gather  the  marvellous 
fruits  It  contains  for  the  support,  strength, 
and  consolation  of  man  here  below. 

It  is  a  law  of  nature  that  the  effect  shows 
forth  the  qualities  of  the  cause  that  pro 
duces  it;  that  the  thought  of  the  work 
man  appears  in  his  work  ;  and  that  a  child, 


(1)     John  xiii,  23. 


Twenty-eighth  Day.  443 

for  example,  reproduces  the  moral  disposi 
tions  of  its  parents  as  well  as  their  features. 
If  the  Eucharist  is  the  masterpiece  of  the 
love  of  the  Saviour  for  men,  and  if  the 
heart  is  the  instrument  as  well  as  the  sym 
bol  par  excellence  of  love,  It  must  have  all 
the  qualities,  all  the  inclinations  of  the 
Heart  of  Jesus.  It  will  be  sufficient  for  me 
to  recall  this  perfect  Heart  of  the  God-Man 
to  know  the  secret,  the  soul  of  the  Eucha- 
ristic  Mystery,  though  enveloped  in  impen 
etrable  veils. 

It  was  in  this  way  that  St.  John  pene 
trated  into  the  depths  of  the  Eucharist. 
After  having  descended  into  the  Heart  of 
Jesus,  sounded  Its  hidden  depths,  and  as 
similated  It  by  plunging  into  It  and  cling 
ing  to  It  by  a  close  and  prolonged  embrace, 
he  set  forth  Its  qualities  and  effects  in  his 
Gospel, 

Because  Jesus  has  a  true  human  Heart 
like  our  own,  He  feels  the  necessity  of  dwell 
ing  with  us.  Forced  to  leave  us  in  order 
to  return  to  His  Father,  He  cannot  resolve 
to  break  the  natural  bond  of  consanguinity 
and  the  moral  bonds  of  labor  accomplished, 
of  trials  endured,  and  of  dangers  run  in 
common ;  and  so,  "  having  loved  His  own 


444     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

who  were  in  the  world,"  and  who  were  to  re 
main  in  it  after  He  should  have  left  it, 
Christ  was  impelled  by  His  Heart  to  sub 
stitute  His  Sacramental  for  His  human 
Presence.  This  Presence  was  to  be  that  of 
the  Son  of  God  made  Man  in  order  to  dwell 
with  man  as  long  as  there  should  be  an 
earth  for  the  place  of  his  exile.  There  He 
was  to  remain  until  our  entrance  into  the 
eternal  country :  "  Sciens  Jesus  quid  venit 
hora  ut  transeat  ex  hoc  mundo  ad  Pa- 
trem  cum  dilexisset  suos  qui  erant  in 
mundo  "(1). 

Because  Jesus  has  a  true  human  Heart, 
sensible  to  the  trials  of  his  fellowmen, 
which,  indeed,  He  shares  with  them,  He 
was  so  much  the  more  saddened  at  the 
thought  of  leaving  us,  as  He  read  the  grief 
of  His  disciples  in  the  tears  that  filled  their 
eyes.  He  could  not  witness  such  sorrow 
on  His  account  without  remaining  to 
console  them;  therefore  He  instituted  His 
abiding  Presence  to  be  the  Consoler  of  every 
affliction :  cf  Vos  nunc  quidem  tristitiam 
habetis;  iterum  autem  vide  vos  et  gaudebit 
cor  vestrum — You  now  indeed  have  sorrow, 

(1)  John  xii,   1. 


Twenty-eighth  Day.  445 

but  I  will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart 
shall  rejoice  "  (1). 

Because  He  brought  forth  His  Apostles 
to  the  supernatural  life  and  has  for  them  as 
well  as  for  us.  their  younger  brethren,  the 
true  Heart  of  a  father,  Jesus  cannot  con 
demn  them  to  the  sad  condition  of  orphans, 
exposed  to  the  rapacity,  the  knavery,  the 
iniquity  of  a  world  ranged  against  their  in 
experience,  simplicity,  and  weakness.  He 
remains  with  them,  therefore.  His  Pres 
ence  in  the  Sacrament  will  be  that  of  the 
Father  to  guard,  feed,  and  cherish  His 
children,  to  defend  the  fireside  against  fam 
ine  and  violence:  c( Filioli,  non  relinquam 
vos  orphanos;  veniam  ad  vos! — My  little 
children,  I  will  not  leave  you  orphans.  I 
will  come  to  you!"  (2). 

Because  He  has  a  Heart  truly  human, 
and  because  man  fears  solitude  with  its  si 
lence,  its  night,  and  its  terrors,  with  the  dan 
gers  there  run  in  the  absence  of  help,  with 
the  distress  there  endured  from  the  want 
of  succor,  Jesus  wishes  not  to  abandon  us 
in  the  sad  loneliness  in  which  every  Chris- 


(1)  Ibid,  xvi,  22, 

(2)  'ibid,  xiv,  18. 


446     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

tian  must  live  in  the  midst  of  an  indifferent 
and  hostile  world.  He  remains,  therefore, 
in  the  Sacrament  to  be  with  us  wherever 
we  are  :  '  Et  si  abiero,  iterum  venio,  et  ac- 
cipiam  vos  ad  meipsum,  ut  ibi  sum  ego,  et 
vos  sitis — And  if  I  shall  go  ...  I  shall 
come  again,  and  will  take  you  to  myself, 
that  where  I  am  you  also  may  be  "(].)• 

Because  Jesus  has  a  human  Heart,  up 
right  and  loyal,  He  feels  the  responsibility 
that  He  has  taken  upon  Himself  as  well  as 
the  obligations  it  imposes,  and  He  desires 
to  satisfy  them.  Having  called  His  Apos 
tles  to  follow  Him,  having  compromised 
them  in  the  eyes  of  their  nation,  and  then 
cast  them  out  into  the  world  like  lambs 
among  wolves,  condemned  to  a  merciless 
war,  He  will  not  abandon  them  in  so  diffi 
cult  a  situation.  He  will  share  their  com 
bats,  preserve  them  from  the  blows  aimed 
at  their  souls,  and  help  them  to  support  and 
even  to  draw  advantage  from  those  levelled 
at  their  physical  well-being.  He  instituted, 
therefore,  His  Presence  as  the  palladium  of 
the  Church  and  the  source  of  that  confidence 
which  rouses  and  inflames  courage.  Every- 

(1)   Ibid,  xiv,  3. 


Twenty-eighth  Day.  447 

where  does  He  present  It  to  His  followers 
in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  crying  out  to  them  : 
"  Confidite,  ego  vici  mundum ! — Have  con 
fidence  !  I  have  overcome  the  world  !"(!)• 

REPARATION. 

Because  He  has  the  Heart  of  a  true  man, 
in  all  things  like  unto  my  own,  and  because 
He  knows  that  nothing  is  more  painful  than 
unanswered  prayer,  a  call  unheeded,  hope 
deceived,  a  vain  endeavor,  the  heavens  like 
brass,  Divine  Providence  apparently  deaf 
to  our  interests  (small,  doubtless,  when  com 
pared  with  the  government  of  the  world, 
but  very  important  for  the  tranquillity  and 
prosperity  of  our  life),  Jesus  has  instituted 
His  Presence  in  the  Sacrament.  He  is 
there  as  our  perpetual  Mediator  before  God, 
as  an  infallible  pledge  of  our  being  favor 
ably  heard.  The  only  condition  is  that  we 
abide  in  Him,  that  is,  that  we  live  in  His 
grace  by  fidelity  to  the  duties  of  our  state 
of  life.  Because  He  knew  that  diffidence, 
discouragement,  despair,  and  blasphemy 
might  come  upon  us  had  we  no  visible  ref 
uge,  might  separate  us  from  Him  and  ren- 

(1)   Ibid,    xvi,    33. 


448     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

der  us  irretrievably  miserable  both  in  time 
and  eternity,  Jesus  stays  with  us  in  the  Holy 
Eucharist.  He  said  to  His  Apostles,  and  He 
has  never  ceased  to  repeat  :  "  Amen, 
amen,  I  say  unto  you  :  if  you  ask  the  Father 
anything  in  My  name,  He  will  give  it  you. 
Hitherto  you  have  not  asked  anything  in  My 
name.  Ask,  and  you  shall  receive,  that 
your  joy  may  be  full — Petite  et  accipietis, 
ut  gaudium  vestrum  sit  plenum! "(1). 

Ah,  yes !  that  we  may  here  below  be  hap 
py  in  a  measure  compatible  with  the  neces 
sity  of  purchasing  eternal  happiness  by  tem 
poral  trials,  Jesus  has  instituted  His  Pres 
ence  in  the  Sacrament  as  the  never-failing 
source  of  heavenly  peace,  of  pure  joy,  which 
sweetens  all  labors  and  trials,  which  above 
all  recognizes  the  truly  human  condition  of 
His  Sacred  Heart.  He  can  not  forget  that 
He  created  us  for  the  unending  joys  of 
heaven  and  that  our  nature  was  born  to 
happiness  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  in  which 
there  was  no  mingling  of  pain.  He  knows 
how  strongly  in  spite  of  our  well-merited 
exile,  we  are  attracted  by  our  first  destiny 
and  how  much  the  remembrance  of  what  we 

(1)   Ibid,    xvi,   20-24. 


Twenty-eighth  Day.  449 

have  lost  inspires  us  with  the  desire  to  re 
gain  it.  He  knows  how  painful  it  is  for  us 
to  live  without  joy,  yes,  not  only  painful, 
but  impossible  for  long,  and  even  dangerous 
to  eternal  salvation!  On  this  account, 
therefore,  Jesus  remains  in  the  Blessed  Sac 
rament.  There  does  He  obtain  from  the 
Father  peace  and  pardon  for  souls.  He 
enlightens  the  peace  of  the  mind  with  the 
serene  joy  of  faith.  He  protects  peace  of 
conscience  by  confidence  in  His  clemency. 
He  maintains  peace  in  the  will  by  its  per 
fect  accord  with  the  will  of  God.  He  pours 
into  the  heart  the  sweetest  peace  of  filial 
piety  so  closely  allied  to  perfect  joy.  Per 
fect  joy  is  the  presence,  the  sight,  the  pos 
session  of  God  and  Jesus ;  and  the  Bless 
ed  Sacrament  shows  us  and  gives  us  truly 
Jesus  and  God !  Jesus  said :  "  Peace  I 
leave  with  you.  My  peace  I  give  unto  you ; 
not  as  the  world  giveth,  do  I  give  unto  you/' 
for  My  peace  is  assured  and  lasting.  Again, 
He  said  :  "  Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you,  you 
shall  lament  and  weep  while  the  world  shall 
glory  in  oppressing  you.  But  I  shall  change 
your  sadness  into  joy.  You  are  now  sad 
because  I  am  about  to  go  hence ;  but  I  shall 
return  to  you,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice 


450     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

and  your  joy  no  man  shall  take  from  you  : 
Iterum  mdebo  vos,  et  gaudium  vestrum 
nemo  toilet  a  vobis!"  (1). 

PETITION. 

In  his  contemplation  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  against  which  his  own  was  so  closely 
pressed,  the  truth  of  the  human  nature  of 
the  Christ  who  had  made  Himself  a  Sacra 
ment  was  revealed  to  St.  John  along  with 
the  power  and  splendor  of  His  divine  nature, 
of  which  He  lost  nothing  by  annihilating 
Himself  in  the  sacramental  state.  He  was 
shown  the  admirable  union  from  all  eternity 
of  the  Word  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  into  which  the  Sacred  Humanity  as 
sumed  by  the  Word  entered  victorious  over 
the  combats  He  had  sustained  for  the  re- 
establishment  of  His  Father's  kingdom. 

By  revealing  Itself  truly  divine  under  the 
humble  Species  consumed  in  the  beloved 
disciple's  own  breast,  the  Sacred  Heart  man 
ifested  to  him  Its  sublime  origin :  "Sciens 
quiet  a  Deo  exivit " — and  the  divine  end  of 
the  God-Man :  "  Et  quia  ad  Deiun 
vadit."  It  revealed  to  him  His  almighty 


(1)     Ibid,  xvi,  20-22. 


Twenty-eighth  Day.  451 

power  and  His  empire  over  all  things : 
"  Sciens  quia  omnia  dedit  ei  Pater  in 
manus"(l).  It  showed  him  .His  unalter 
able  union  with  the  Father,  who  never 
separates  from  Him,  neither  in  the  weak 
ness  of  His  mortal  state,  nor  in  His  Eucha- 
ristic  annihilation  :  "  Ego  in  Patre  et  Pater 
in  me  est;  Ego  et  Pater  unum  sumus.  Qui 
videt  me  videt  et  Pair  em  meum"(2). 
Jesus  again  says :  "  My  Divine  Father, 
the  Almighty  Creator  and  Conservator  of 
the  world,  who  dwells  in  and  with  Me,  who 
am  one  only  God,  does  all  the  marvellous 
works  by  which  I  have  manifested  to  the 
world  My  divine  mission:  "  Pater  in  me 
manens,  ipse  facit  opera  "(3). 

By  an  infinite  word,  the  Divine  Heart 
discovered  to  John  the  presence  of  His  Di 
vinity  in  the  marvel  of  the  Eucharist  :  In 
finem  dilexit.  He  loved  to  the  end,  He 
loved  infinitely!  He  loved  to  the  end  of 
His  power,  for  He  could  produce  no  greater 
marvel  than  the  mystery  of  transubstantia- 
tion  which  renders  Him  present  in  the  Eu~ 

(1)  Ibid,  xiii,  1-3. 

(2)  Ibid,  xiv,  9. 

(3)  Ibid,  xiv,  10. 


4:52     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

charist.  He  loved  to  the  end  of  time,  since 
He  will  remain  in  It  to  close  the  ages  after 
having  secured  the  salvation  of  the  last 
soul  to  be  saved.  He  has  loved  to  the  end 
of  space,  since  He  is  present  at  one  and  the 
same  time  all  over  the  inhabited  world.  He 
has  loved  to  the  end  of  numbers,  since  He 
will  be  more  abundantly  multiplied  than  all 
men  of  all  generations,  in  order  to  give  Him 
self  to  every  one.  He  has  loved  to  the  end 
of  abasement,  since  He  will  live  hidden  in 
the  dust  of  the  Sacrament,  the  nearest  ap 
proach  to  annihilation  than  that  of  any 
other  living  thing.  He  has  loved  even  to 
the  highest  point  of  elevation,  since  He 
exalts  to  the  glorious  life  of  eternity  all  who 
cling  to  Him  firmly :  In  finem ! 

To  love  to  such  an  extent  and  to  mani 
fest  His  love  by  works  so  evidently  divine, 
is  to  be  truly  God.  It  was  His  Divinity 
that  remained  integral  in  Jesus,  in  spite 
of  His  sudden  annihilation  in  the  particle 
of  bread  presented  to  His  Apostles.  It  was 
that  same  Divinity  which  revealed  to  St. 
John  the  Sacred  Heart  upon  which  he  was 
reposing,  lost  in  wonder  and  gratitude:  In 
fine  in  dilexitl 

These  were  the  lights  upon  the  nature, 


Twenty-eighth  Day.  453 

the  character  and  the  effects  of  the  Eucha 
rist  that  fixed  John's  attention  on  the  Heart 
of  Jesus  at  the  moment  of  the  institution 
of  the  Sacrament.  This  is  the  model  offered 
us.  Whoever  desires  to  penetrate  beyond 
the  Eucharistic  clouds  without  being1  affright 
ed  by  Its  profound  night ;  whoever  desires 
to  comprehend  as  far  as  he  can  here  below 
this  incomprehensible  Mystery,  must  look 
upon,  must  implore,  must  study  the  Eucha 
ristic  Heart  of  Jesus.  The  Sacrament,  out 
wardly  inert  and  lifeless,  will  suddenly  be 
come  animated,  will  live,  at  one  and  the 
same  time  God  and  Man!  The  student  of 
the  Eucharist  will  love  with  the  most  sub 
lime  and  tender  of  loves.  He  will  be  gentle 
and  good,  powerful  and  strong,  helpful  and 
faithful  forever  like  Jesus  Himself,  the  true 
Son  of  God  and  Son  of  Man. 

Let  us  see  how  Blessed  Margaret  Mary 
comported  herself  before  the  Most  Blessed 
Sacrament.  She  spent  almost  the  whole 
of  the  various  feasts  before  It,  offering  the 
homage  of  her  interior  and  exterior  love 
and  respect  to  the  Real  Presence  of  the  Sa 
cred  Humanity  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
She  loved  Him  as  her  God  and  Saviour, 
with  her  whole  soul,  her  whole  heart,  and  all 


454     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

her  strength.  She  loved  Him  with  a  love 
of  complacency,  seeing  in  Him  the  Sover 
eign  Good  and  the  fruitful  Source  of  all 
holy  desires,  alone  sufficient  for  Himself. 
She  loved  Him  with  a  love  of  benevolence, 
ardently  longing  to  love  Him  as  much  as 
He  deserves,  and  that  all  creatures  should 
enter  into  her  dispositions.  She  loved  Him 
with  a  love  of  union  with  His  will  and  His 
good  pleasure,  which  she  sought  to  bend 
to  her  own  will,  only  that  by  sufferings, 
trials,  and  humiliations  she  might  become 
more  conformable  to  what  He  had  been  in 
His  mortal  life.  Once  she  wrote :  "  When 
you  make  a  genuflection  before  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  say:  May  all  things  bow  down 
before  Thee,  O  Almighty  Power!  May  all 
hearts  love  Thee,  may  every  spirit  adore 
Thee,  and  may  every  will  be  submissive  to 
Thine !  " 

Pray  for  resignation  to  the  will  of  God. 

Our  Lady  of  the  Cenacle,  pray  for  us. 
(50  days'  Indulgence.) 


THE  SACRED  HEART  AND  EUCHARISTIC 
REPARATION. 

REPARATION  is  one  of  the  essential  char 
acteristics  of  the  worship  of  the  Sacred 
Heart.  The  Saviour  declares  it  in  express 
terms.  There  are  three  special  sins  against 
the  Holy  Eucharist  which  it  is  called  upon 
to  repair.  On  this  subject  we  shall  hear 
the  repeated  declarations  of  the  Revela 
tions  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and  we  shall 
see  reasons  that  render  such  reparation  ur 
gent  and  necessary.  What  strength,  what 
help,  what  means  for  its  perfect  accom 
plishment  does  the  devotion  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  afford !  We  feel  ourselves  urged,  as 
it  were,  to  respond  to  the  touching  and 
pressing  appeal  made  to  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary :  "  Do  thou,  at  least,  try  to  console 
Me  by  making  Me  some  return ! " 

ADORATION. 

To  be  convinced  that  devotion  to  the 
Sacred  Heart  means  reparation  for  sins 
against  the  Holy  Eucharist,  we  need  but 

455 


456     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

to  listen  to  the  clear  and  earnest  words  of 
the  Saviour  to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary: 

"  One  day,  during  the  octave  of  Corpus 
Christi,  I  was  praying  before  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  I  received  from  God  some 
great  graces  of  His  love,  and  I  felt  moved 
by  the  desire  to  make  to  Him  some  return, 
and  to  render  Him  love  for  love.  He  said 
to  me :  '  Thou  canst  do  nothing  greater 
for  Me  than  by  doing  what  I  have  so  often 
asked  of  thee.' 

"  Then  showing  me  His  Divine  Heart, 
He  said :  '  Behold  this  Heart  which  has  so 
loved  men  that  It  has  spared  nothing  even 
to  exhausting  and  consuming  Itself  in  or 
der  to  testify  to  them  Its  love.  Instead 
of  acknowledgment,  I  receive  for  the  most 
part  only  ingratitude,  irreverence,  sacrilege, 
coldness  and  contempt  in  this  Sacrament  of 
Love.  But  what  I  feel  much  more  deeply 
is  that  it  is  hearts  consecrated  to  Me  that 
treat  Me  so. 

" '  I  ask,  therefore,  that  the  first  Friday 
after  the  octave  of  Corpus  Christi  be  de 
voted  to  a  special  festival  in  honor  of  My 
Heart,  by  communicating  on  that  day  and 
by  making  an  act  of  reparation  for  the  in 
gratitude  It  has  received  while  exposed  on 
the  altars/  " 


Twenty-ninth  Day.  457 

Nothing  could  be  more  formal.  The 
Feast  of  the  Sacred  Heart  sums  up  the 
whole  devotion  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  It 
was  to  be  instituted  in  reparation  "  for  the 
ingratitude,  irreverence,  sacrileges,  cold 
ness,  and  contempt  which  the  majority  of 
mankind  exhibit  for  the  Saviour  in  His 
Sacrament  of  Love." 

THANKSGIVING. 

It  might  appear  that,  in  this  contempla 
tion  of  the  outrages  committed  against  the 
Eucharist,  there  is  little  room  for  thanks 
giving,  for  the  mere  thought  of  them  fills 
the  heart  with  sadness  and  calls  loudly  for 
reparation. 

It  is,  however,  a  most  precious  gift  from 
the  Sacred  Heart,  and  one  that  deserves 
earnest  thanks,  to  recognize  Its  abasement, 
to  be  moved  to  pity  It,  and  to  be  sensible 
of  the  necessity  of  offering  some  indemni 
fication  to  It. 

Our  heart  cannot  fail  to  be  overcome  by 
the  tenderest  sentiments  if  we  reflect  on  the 
incomprehensible  love  that  led  the  Divine 
Saviour  to  institute  the  Eucharist,  in  spite 
of  all  the  offences,  humiliations,  and  ingrati 
tude  which  He  foresaw  would  result  from 


458     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

so  doing.  We  shall  be  still  more  moved 
when  we  think  of  the  even  more  amazing 
love  which  leads  Him  to  remain  undaunted 
in  the  midst  of  a  world  which  despises  and 
rejects  Him,  which  urges  Him  to  give 
Himself  to  those  that  receive  Him  with  the 
intention  of  outraging  Him  more  cruelly,  or 
to  others  that  will  profit  nothing  by  His 
coming  to  them.  Oh,  what  disgust  the 
sweet  Saviour  must  feel  for  such  souls! 
What  struggles  He  must  endure ! 

Jesus  was  ignorant  of  nothing  that  He 
would  be  forced  to  encounter  in  the  Eucha 
rist.  Long  before  Its  institution,  when 
looking  upon  Judas,  the  foresight  filled  His 
Heart  with  the  sharp  thorns  of  anxiety  most 
sorrowful,  dug  in  It  an  ever-increasing 
wound,  and  planted  deeply  in  It  a  Cross 
that  crushed  and  bruised  It. 

The  first  time  that  He  manifested  His 
Heart  to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  it  was 
"  With  the  Wound  He  received  upon  the 
Cross,  a  crown  of  thorns  around  It,  and  sur 
mounted  by  a  Cross.  And  my  Divine  Sav 
iour  made  me  understand,"  she  tells  us, 
"  that,  from  the  first  moment  of  His  Incar 
nation,  all  His  torments  were  present  to 
Him,  and  from  that  first  moment  the  Cross 


Twenty-ninth  Day.  459 

was,  as  it  were,  planted  in  His  Heart.  It 
was  then  that  He  accepted  all  the  outrages 
to  which  His  love  for  man  exposed  Him  in 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  till  the  end  of  time." 

REPARATION. 

What  renders  sin  grave  and  reparation 
necessary,  is  the  injury  done  to  Divine  Maj 
esty  and  the  importance  of  the  precept  de 
spised.  Now,  from  each  of  these  points  of 
view,  sins  against  the  Eucharist  take  on  a 
gravity  unequalled  by  any  other.  They 
wound  directly  the  sacred  Person  of  the 
Christ,  and  go  right  to  His  Heart ;  they  are 
the  ungrateful  response  to  His  tenderest 
and  most  generous  love ;  they  despise  His 
formal  commandments,  thus  incurring  eter 
nal  damnation ;  lastly,  they  audaciously  put 
on  the  character  of  public  apostasy.  From 
all  these  considerations,  they  call  for  earnest 
and  indefatigable  reparation. 

The  Divine  Master  sorrowfully  enume 
rates  "  ingratitude,  contempt,  irreverence, 
coldness,  and  sacrileges."  On  another  oc 
casion,  He  spoke  of  the  "  outrages  to  which 
His  love  had  subjected  Him  by  exposing 
Himself  on  our  altars  to  the  end  of  time." 
Finally,  He  bitterly  complained  of  "  meet- 


460     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

ing  only  coldness  and  rebuffs,  despite  His 
eagerness  to  do  us  good." 

If  we  must  complete  and  particularize 
this  pitiful  enumeration,  passing  over  de 
tails  of  certain  terrible  profanations  which, 
revealed  from  time  to  time,  cast  a  sinister 
glare  upon  the  profound  Mystery  in  which, 
for  our  sake,  resides  our  Saviour  and  our 
God,  as  well  as  upon  the  ferocious  baseness 
of  man's  heart  when  filled  with  hatred,  let 
us  turn  our  attention  to  some  grave  infi 
delities  toward  the  Eucharist,  namely :  the 
neglect  to  hear  Mass  on  Sunday  and  to  re 
ceive  Holy  Communion  at  Easter.  These 
are  real  crimes,  since  they  constitute  a  for 
mal  revolt  against  the  manifest  will  of  God 
and  the  positive  precepts  of  the  Church. 
They  are  real  crimes  of  ingratitude  and  con 
tempt  of  the  Christ's  death,  which  the  Sac 
rifice  renews,  and  against  the  unspeakable 
gift  of  His  adorable  Flesh  as  nourishment. 
They  are  true  crimes  of  apostasy,  since  they 
who  commit  them  refuse  to  join  the  public 
worship  due  to  God.  They  are  real  crimes 
of  hatred  against  God,  since  they  refuse  to 
unite  themselves  with  Him,  to  His  life  here 
below  and  to  His  eternal  life  by  participat 
ing  in  His  Flesh,  the  only  aliment  of  di 
vine  life  in  man. 


Twenty-ninth  Day.  461 

In  many  places  the  churches  are  far  from 
being  filled  at  the  Sunday  Masses,  and  at 
Easter  communicants  are  not  numerous.  If 
in  some  places  we  find  crowded  churches, 
yet  even  there  the  absentees  far  exceed  those 
present.  Can  we  say  that  the  tenth  part 
of  baptized  Christians  render  to  God  and 
to  His  Christ  the  primary  duties  of  relig 
ion?  Alas!  with  regard  to  God,  universal 
apostasy,  neglect  of  His  authority,  immense 
ingratitude  toward  Jesus  Christ,  who  em 
ploys  so  much  love,  makes  so  many  sacri 
fices,  in  order  to  immolate  and  give  Him 
self,  prevail  everywhere.  Mortal  damage 
done  to  souls,  loss  to  Christian  society,  the 
disappearance  of  Christ's  beneficent  action 
on  the  world,  the  liberty  offered  to  Satan  to 
establish  his  deadly  empire — this  is  what 
everywhere  confronts  us. 

Viewing  it  from  the  point  of  love,  of 
which  the  Eucharist  is  the  highest  expres 
sion,  as  well  as  the  tenderest  manifestation, 
who  can  comprehend  the  bitter  disappoint 
ment,  the  sharp  sorrow  experienced  by  the 
most  loving  Heart  of  Jesus,  who  finds  His 
delights  only  in  being  with  the  children  of 
men?  To  procure  those  delights  He  shrank 
not  from  embracing  the  abasement  of  the 

31 


462     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

sacramental  state  and  taking  upon  this  mis 
erable  earth  a  new  existence,  just  when  His 
Father  bade  Him  ascend  to  His  glorious 
rest.  Coldness,  contempt,  rebuffs,  the  ob 
stinate  turning  away  of  the  majority  of 
men,  are  the  only  response,  the  only  ac 
knowledgment  of  His  well-meaning  Pres 
ence,  that  Presence  so  full  of  benevolence, 
of  welcome,  of  courtesy  to  all.  "  Tola,  die 
expandi  manus  meas  ad  p&pulum  nolen- 
tem  et  contradicentcm! — I  have  spread  forth 
my  hands  all  the  day  to  an  unbelieving  peo- 
ple"(l). 

PETITION. 

The  duty  of  reparation  must  now  be  evi 
dent  and  urgent  to  one  who  comprehends 
the  gravity,  the  horror,  and  the  number  of 
sins  against  the  Eucharist.  But  at  the 
same  time  that  reparation  must  appear  dif 
ficult  and  altogether  above  the  strength 
of  one  who  sincerely  recognizes  his  own 
weakness,  the  small  value  of  his  own  good 
works,  and  the  immense  disproportion  be 
tween  them  and  their  need. 

Blessed  Margaret  Mary  belonged  to  the 
class  of  the  truly  humble.  Even  when 


(1)     Is.  Ixiv,  2. 


Twenty-ninth  Day.  463 

pierced  to  the  very  soul  by  the  groanings 
of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and  inflamed  by  her 
own  ardent  desires  for  reparation,  "  she 
represented  her  utter  inability  to  Our  Lord, 
and  He  replied  to  her :  '  Behold  wherewith 
to  supply  all  that  is  wanting  to  thee ! '  At 
the  same  moment  the  Divine  Heart  opened," 
she  tells  us,  "  and  from  It  shot  a  flame  so 
fiery  that  I  thought  I  should  be  consumed. 
I  was  so  penetrated  by  it  that,  unable  to 
endure  it,  I  begged  Our  Lord  to  have  pity 
on  my  weakness.  '  I  will  be  thy  strength. 
Fear  not ! '  was  His  reply." 

If  we  wish  to  repair  worthily,  we  must 
earnestly,  humbly,  and  perseveringly  im 
plore  the  Sacred  Heart  for  the  grace  to  do 
so.  That  dear  Heart  longs  for  nothing  so 
much  as  to  pour  out  such  grace  upon  us. 
After  having  demanded  of  Blessed  Marga 
ret  Mary  the  institution  of  Its  feast,  the 
Communion  of  reparation  and  the  honora 
ble  amend  of  the  Holy  Hour,  He  said  again 
to  her :  "  I  promise  thee  that  My  Heart 
will  dilate  to  shed  abundantly  the  influ 
ences  of  Its  divine  love  upon  those  that  will 
render  to  It  this  honor,  and  urge  others  to 
do  the  same." 

The  first  grace  necessary  for  reparation 


464     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

is  a  compassionate  love  for  Our  Lord.  This 
will  make  the  soul  attentive  to  the  cruel 
and  bloody  wounds,  to  all  that  He  endured 
in  His  mortal  life,  to  all  the  mystical  pains 
that  He  still  undergoes  in  His  sacramental 
life.  This  compassionate  love  will  make 
the  soul  generous  to  enter  into  His  suffer 
ings,  to  endure  them,  to  take  upon  herself 
the  greater  part  of  them,  and  to  look  upon 
such  participation  as  the  most  precious  joy. 
The  Divine  Lover,  the  despised  Lover, 
looks  for  one  that  will  compassionate  and 
console  Him.  "  One  day,"  says  Blessed 
Margaret  Mary,  "  Our  Lord  honored  me 
with  one  of  His  visits,  and  said  to  me: 
'  My  daughter,  art  thou  really  willing  to 
give  Me  thy  heart  as  a  place  of  repose  for 
My  suffering  love  which  all  others  de 
spise  ?  '  '  My  Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  am 
all  thine!  Do  with  me  as  Thou  dost  de 
sire/  Then  He  said  to  me :  '  Knowest  thou 
for  what  end  I  give  thee  My  graces  so 
abundantly?  It  is  to  make  of  thee,  as  it 
were,  a  sanctuary  in  which  the  fire  of  my 
love  burns  constantly.  I  have  chosen  thy 
heart  as  a  sacred  altar  upon  which  to  offer 
to  My  Eternal  Father  holocausts  to  appease 
His  justice,  and  to  render  Him  infinite 


Twenty-ninth  Day.  465 

glory  by  the  offering  that  thou  wilt  make 
to  Him  of  thyself,  uniting  thereto  the  sacri 
fice  of  thy  being  in  order  to  honor  Mine.'  ' 
The  second  grace  to  be  asked  for  repara 
tion,  is  a  very  compassionate,  a  very  devoted 
charity  for  the  misfortune  of  souls  who,  by 
their  sins  injure  the  Sacred  Heart.  To 
pray  for  them,  to  offer  one's  self  for  them, 
to  humble  one's  self,  to  chastise  one's  self 
in  expiation  of  their  sins  and  to  obtain 
their  conversion,  to  persevere  in  this  de- 
votedness  till  the  end  has  been  obtained — 
this  is  reparation  sincere  and  efficacious. 
This  is  the  reparation  so  much  desired  by 
that  Heart  which  never  ceases  to  love  those 
that  tear  It  to  pieces,  patiently  to  endure 
all  their  blows  to  win  for  them  by  Its  pa 
tience  pardon  and  conversion.  What  does 
St.  Paul  say  ?  "  For  I  wished  myself  to  be 
an  anathema  from  Christ  for  my  brethren 
who  are  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh  "(1). 
"  One  day,  when  Our  Lord  had  shown 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary  the  bad  treatment 
He  had  received  in  a  soul  who  had  com 
municated  with  affection  to  sin,  seized  with 
fear  and  sorrow,  she  cast  herself  at  His 


(1)     Rom.  ix,  3. 


466     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

feet,  watered  them  with  the  tears  she  could 
not  restrain,  and  said  to  Him :  '  My  Lord 
and  my  God,  if  my  life  will  be  of  any  use 
to  repair  these  injuries,  although  what 
Thou  dost  receive  from  me  is  a  thousand 
times  greater,  yet  behold  me !  I  am  Thy 
slave.  Do  with  me  whatever  Thou  pleas- 
est/  He  replied :  '  Whenever  I  make 
known  to  thee  the  bad  treatment  I  receive 
from  that  soul,  I  wish  thee  to  prostrate  at 
My  feet  after  Communion  and  make  hon 
orable  atonement  to  My  Heart.  Offer  to 
the  Father  for  the  same  end  the  bloody  sac 
rifice  of  the  Cross,  along  with  thy  own  be 
ing,  to  pay  homage  to  Mine  and  to  repair 
the  indignities  I  receive  in  this  Heart.'  At 
these  words,  I  suffered  great  pains,  and 
I  repeatedly  begged  for  mercy.  After  I 
had  received  Him  one  Easter  Day,  He 
said  to  me :  'I  have  heard  thy  groaning, 
and  I  have  shed  My  mercy  on  that  soul.' '' 

Make  a  visit  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament  in 
reparation  for  those  who  visit  It  not. 

May  the  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus  be 
blessed ! 

(50  days'  Indulgence.) 


tlbirtietb 


THE      EUCHARISTIC      HEART      PLEADING      FOR 
REPARATION. 

ADORATION. 

THE  octave  of  Corpus  Christi,  with  the 
Solemn  Masses  and  processions  that  open 
and  close  it,  the  uninterrupted  Exposition  of 
the  Adorable  Sacrament,  is  the  culminating 
point  of  Eucharistic  worship.  And  yet 
"  the  indignities  committed  against  Him 
during  it,"  as  the  Saviour  says,  lead  Him  to 
demand  "  Communion  and  an  Act  of  Repa 
ration  to  repair  the  indignity  offered  Him 
during  the  time  of  Exposition  on  our  altars." 
Now  it  is  clear  why  the  Friday  after  the 
octave  of  Corpus  Christi  has  been  chosen 
by  the  Saviour  for  the  celebrating  of  the 
Feast  of  His  Heart. 

This  very  distinctly  marks  the  reparative 
character  of  devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart 
for  the  sins  committed  against  the  Eucha 
rist.  "  Corpus  Christi,"  as  St.  Thomas  de 
clares,  "  is  intended,  by  solemn  and  pro 
longed  homage,  to  repair  the  indifference  of 

467 


468     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

the  preceding  year  in  the  daily  celebration 
and  reception  of  the  Holy  Mysteries."  The 
Feast  of  the  Sacred  Heart  will  repair  the 
faults  that  shall  have  glided  even  into  the 
solemn  celebration  of  the  eight  days  of  the 
octave  just  completed.  Devotion  to  the 
Sacred  Heart  will  be  not  only  an  expression 
of  gratitude  for  the  infinite  love  and  the  in 
comparable  benefits  which  Jesus  has  centred 
in  the  gift  of  His  Eucharist,  but  an  honor 
able  reparation  for  that  love  despised,  for 
those  benefits  profaned  or  rendered  useless. 
It  is  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  the  "  Victim  of 
Its  own  too  great  love/'  that  there  is  ques 
tion  of  adoring,  consoling,  and  exalting  in 
the  Sacrament  in  which  It  is  offered :  "  Cor 
Jesu,  charitatis  victimam,  veniie  adorernus! 
Come,  let  us  adore  the  Heart  of  Jesus,  Vic 
tim  of  love." 

THANKSGIVING. 

For  twenty  centuries  Jesus  has  been  de 
spised,  repulsed,  hated.  The  uncalled-for, 
multiplied,  and  obstinate  rebuffs  that  He 
meets ;  the  icy  coldness  upon  which  His  ar 
dent  love  has  no  effect;  the  profanations 
that  outrage  His  Majesty,  violate  His  sanc 
tity,  and  abuse  the  weakness  of  His  Hu- 


Twenty-ninth  Day.  469 

manity,  ought  to  have  been  able  to  tire  Him 
out,  to  make  Hirn  abandon  this  ungrateful 
earth,  or,  at  least,  to  give  rein  to  His  just 
anger  for  the  avenging  of  His  discarded 
love.  But  no!  He  acknowledged  the  in 
convertible  weakness  of  His  Heart  for  us 
when  He  confided  to  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary  the  following :  "  To  receive  from 
men  only  ingratitude  after  having  loved 
them  to  so  inexplicable  an  excess,  is  more 
painful  to  Me  than  all  that  I  suffered  in  My 
Passion."  "  But,"  He  added,  in  an  ador 
able  disclosing  of  the  secret  sentiments  of 
His  Heart,  "  if  they  would  give  Me  some  re 
turn  for  My  love,  I  should  esteem  all  that  I 
have  done  for  them  as  little,  and  I  should 
wish,  if  it  were  possible,  to  endure  still 
more." 

Far  from  being  worn  out  with  loving  this 
ungrateful  world,  Jesus  desires  to  redouble 
His  love  and  overcome  hatred  by  kindness. 
It  was  for  this  end  that  He  revealed  His 
Heart.  Let  us  hearken  again  to  a  love 
which  cannot  contain  itself,  and  which,  in 
stead  of  being  extinguished  by  the  waves  of 
hatred  that  It  meets,  is,  on  the  contrary,  in 
creased,  and  breaks  out  in  a  paroxysm  like 
the  following :  "  My  Divine  Heart  is  so 
passionately  in  love  with  men  that,  unable 


470     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

to  restrain  the  flames  of  Its  ardor,  It  is 
forced  to  allow  them  to  escape,  It  manifests 
them  in  order  to  enrich  men  with  Its  pre 
cious  treasures."  "  He  told  me,"  says 
Blessed  Margaret  Mary,  "  that  the  intense 
desire  He  has  of  being  loved  by  men  led  Him 
to  form  the  design  of  manifesting  His  Heart 
to  them,  and  in  these  latter  ages  of  giving 
to  them  a  last  effort  of  His  love,  by  pro 
posing  to  them  an  object  and  a  means  so 
proper  to  win  them  to  love  Him  and  to  love 
Him  truly.  He  opens  to  them  all  the  treas 
ures  of  love,  grace,  and  mercy,  of  sanctifi- 
cation  and  salvation  that  It  contains.  This 
He  does  that  they  who  wish  to  render  and 
procure  for  Him  all  the  honor  and  love  pos 
sible  may  be  enriched  with  a  profusion  of 
the  divine  treasures  of  which  It  is  the  faith 
ful  and  inexhaustible  source !  " 

Shall  not  our  hearts  overflow  in  thanks 
giving  to  this  Heart  which  loves  us  to  Its 
own  detriment,  and  which  opposes  to  our 
ingratitude  only  new  acts  of  love?  " Nos 
ergo  diligamus  Deum,  quoniam  Deus  prior 
dilexit  nos! — Let  us  therefore  love  God,  be 
cause  God  first  loved  us  "  (1). 


(1)     I  John   iv,   19. 


Thirtieth  Day.  471 

REPARATION. 

If  there  is  question  of  sacrilegious  Com 
munion,  "  the  sorrowful  trembling  of  the 
Heart  of  Jesus  at  the  Last  Supper  and  the 
indignant  protests  of  the  Saviour  against 
Judas  "(1),  tell  of  the  horrible  violence,  the 
outrageous  treatment,  the  cruel  punishment 
that  He  endures  from  it!  He  feels  the 
claw  of  sacrilege  fastening  upon  Him,  and 
He  declares  that  it  would  have  been  better 
for  the  traitor  never  to  have  been  born  than 
to  commit  such  a  crime! (2) 

The  Saviour's  communications  to  His 
faithful  confidante,  Blessed  Margaret  Mary, 
may  give  an  idea  of  the  suffering  inflicted 
on  His  Heart,  not  only  by  those  that  com 
municate  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin,  but  by 
those  that  entertain  an  affection  to  venial 
sin,  voluntary  tepidity  and,  above  all,  to 
sins  of  pride. 

"  After  Holy  Communion,"  she  tells  us, 
"  my  Divine  Saviour  presented  Himself  to 
me  as  the  Ecce  Homo,  all  torn  and  dis 
figured.  He  said  to  me :  '  If  thou  didst  but 
know  who  it  is  that  has  reduced  Me  to  this 


(1)  John  xiii. 

(2)  Mark  xiv,  22. 


472     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

state!  .  .  .  Five  souls  consecrated  to 
My  service  have  treated  Me  thus,  for  I  have 
been  forcibly  dragged  with  ropes  into  very 
narrow  places  that  were  filled  with  all  sorts 
of  sharp  spikes,  nails,  and  thorns,  and  they 
have  reduced  me  to  what  you  see.' 

"  I  was  desirous  for  an  explanation  of 
these  words.  Then  Our  Lord  gave  me  to 
understand  that  the  rope  was  the  promise 
that  He  has  made  to  give  Himself  to  us ;  the 
force  used  against  Him  was  His  own  love ; 
the  narrow  places  were  ill-disposed  hearts ; 
the  spikes,  the  spirit  of  pride.  I  offered 
Him  as  a  place  of  rest  the  Heart  He  had 
given  me.  In  His  weariness  He  presented 
Himself  to  me  as  soon  as  I  had  a  moment, 
telling  me  to  kiss  His  Wounds,  and  thus  al 
leviate  His  suffering. 

"  On  another  occasion,  when  preparing 
for  Holy  Communion,  I  heard  a  voice  say 
ing  to  me :  '  Look,  My  daughter,  at  the  bad 
treatment  that  I  meet  in  the  soul  that  has  re 
ceived  Me !  She  has  renewed  all  the  pains 
of  'My  Passion.'  I  was  filled  with  surprise 
at  hearing  such  words  of  a  soul  that  had 
bathed  in  the  Precious  Blood  of  Jesus  Christ. 
But  the  same  voice  continued :  '  It  is  not 
that  she  is  actually  in  sin,  but  the  will  to  sin 


Thirtieth  Day.  473 

has  not  left  her  heart.  I  hold  this  more  in 
horror  than  even  the  sinful  act  itself,  for 
it  is  contemptuously  applying  My  Blood  to 
a  corrupt  heart,  since  the  will  to  sin  is  the 
root  of  all  corruption. ' : 

Wounds,  dishonor,  sorrow,  the  renewal 
of  His  whole  Passion — it  is  thus  that  the 
Saviour  depicts  the  punishment  inflicted  on 
His  Heart  by  sins  against  the  Holy  Eucha 
rist,  and  of  which  He  even  says :  "  It  pains 
Me  more  than  all  that  I  endured  in  My  Pas 
sion."  Is  not  this  sufficient  to  make  us  un 
derstand  the  gravity  of  such  sin?  Is  it  not 
sufficient  to  impress  every  faithful  soul  with 
the  urgent  duty  of  reparation?  to  make  her 
earnest  and  compassionate  toward  the 
wounded  Heart,  generous  and  energetic  in 
winning  pardon  for  those  that  offend  It? 

PETITION. 

"  On  another  occasion,  Our  Lord  said  to 
me :  '  Dost  thou  wish  to  bear  the  weight 
of  My  sanctity  of  justice?  I  am  about  to 
let  it  fall  upon  that  religious  in  name,  whom 
behold ! '  And  He  showed  her  to  me.  In 
stantly  I  fell  at  His  feet,  exclaiming: 
'  Rather  consume  me  to  the  marrow  of  my 


474     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

bones  than  destroy  this  soul  that  has  cost 
Thee  so  dear!  Do  not  spare  my  life.  I 
sacrifice  it  to  Thy  interests ! '  As  I  rose 
from  the  ground,  I  felt  burdened  with  so 
great  a  weight  that  I  could  not  drag  myself 
along.  I  was  at  the  same  time  attacked  by 
so  violent  a  fever  that  it  penetrated  even  to 
the  marrow  of  my  bones,  and  shortly  obliged 
me  to  keep  my  bed.  I  was  exceedingly  ill. 
I  would  have  desired  to  see  myself  forsaken, 
abandoned  by  all  creatures,  thus  to  be  more 
conformed  to  Jesus'  suffering.  I  felt  in  my 
self  so  great  a  hunger  to  receive  Him  that'  I 
knew  not  what  to  do,  except  to  seize  Him 
with  my  eyes  by  their  tears.  My  agony  was 
like  that  of  the  souls  in  purgatory,  who 
suffer  from  the  privation  of  the  Sovereign 
Good;  for,  notwithstanding  the  ardent  de 
sire  that  consumed  me,  my  Divine  Master 
made  me  see  that  I  was  too  unworthy  to 
lodge  Him  in  my  heart.  This  was  a  suf 
fering  not  less  than  the  first,  which  urged 
me  to  approach  Him." 

If  love  so  consuming  for  the  adorable 
Victim  of  the  Eucharist,  if  such  sufferings 
embraced  for  the  conversion  of  His  unfortu 
nate  scorners  are  above  our  courage  and 
even  our  desires,  it  remains  for  us  to  employ 


Thirtieth  Day.  475 

for  Eucharistic  reparation  the  means  that 
are  in  the  reach  of  every  soul  of  good  will, 
namely,  frequent  attendance  at  Holy  Mass, 
with  closer  attention  to  the  Passion,  which 
it  renews  in  so  real  a  manner ;  more  fre 
quent  Communions,  with  better  preparation, 
more  purity,  recollection,  and  fidelity  to  all 
our  duties,  more  fervent  and  assiduous 
visits  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  more 
faithful  participation  in  daily  and  nocturnal 
adoration.  We  may  add  to  this  the  more 
patient  and  humble  acceptance  of  the  priva 
tions  entailed  upon  us  by  our  condition  in 
life,  more  perfect  resignation  lo  our  suffer 
ings,  whatever  they  may  be,  and  more  filial 
and  lasting  abandonment  to  the  holy  will  of 
God  in  all  kinds  of  trials,  whencesoever  they 
proceed.  The  generous  choice  of  some 
mortifications,  fasts,  disciplines,  and  hu 
miliations,  suited  to  our  state  of  life  and 
physical  ability,  will  be,  also,  a  proper  and 
very  laudable  means  of  reparation.  United 
to  the  sufferings,  humiliations,  and  perpetual 
sacrifice  of  the  annihiliated  and  immolated 
Heart  of  the  Eucharistic  Christ,  purified 
and  inflamed  by  His  love,  they  will  be  most 
powerful  to  console  Him,  and  to  obtain  from 
Him  the  conversion  of  all  those  who  crucify 


476     The  Eucharistic  Heart  of  Jesus. 

anew  to  themselves  the  Christ,  who  profane 
or  who  neglect  the  "  Heavenly  Gift  "(I)- 

Pray  for  true  humility  of  heart. 

Jesus,  meek  and  humble  of  Heart,  make 
my  heart  like  unto  Thine. 

(300  days'  Indulgence.) 


(i)    Heb.  vi,  4. 


BX  2158  .T47613  1908  SMC 
Tesniere,  Albert. 
The  eucharistic  heart  of 
Jesus   47235047